The Complete Anglo-Force Originals
by Julian Two Sheds Radbourne
Summary: Originally written in the early 90's, Anglo-Force was an on-going series of stories about a British-based super-hero team. It featured numerous cross-overs with other stories as well as with it's sister series The Valkyrie Chronicles.
1. 1: The Formation & The Return of Saruman

**CHAPTER ONE**

The year was 1999, the last year of the twentieth century. In the last decade, things had changed quite dramatically. Ever since the Eugenics War, seven years previously, relations between some countries had weakened, while some had strengthened.

Another war of sorts was taking place in London, the capital city of Great Britain. This was not a war between two countries. This was a war between two bands of criminals, and the law enforcement authorities seemed powerless to stop it. It was not a war over drugs. The street value of drugs had slipped considerably over the past five years. This was a war over a mineral, mineral of great and unusual power, a mineral known as cavourite.

The two sides in the war were the Mafia and a group of super-powered beings known as the Black Squadron.

A small convoy of lorries was heading towards the recently opened Docklands Power Station in London. The station had only been open for a couple of years. It was not nuclear powered, it was powered by cavourite, which was much safer. The power station had been built after all business had moved away years ago.

The lorries soon arrived at the power station. The station not only provided power for all of London, but nearly all of the south-east of England. They were let through the entrance gate after several security checks. Security was tight here after many incidents. Both the Mafia and the Black Squadron had tried to take over the power station. Cavourite could not only be used as a source of power, but as a mutagen, a mutating agent.

The lorries pulled into a large building. Four technicians walked over to the lead lorry. As one of them walked over to the door, it suddenly spring open, and hit the man, sending him flying. The others did not know what was going on. They soon found out though as two men brandishing rifles jumped out of the lorry's cab."Against the wall", they shouted. The men did what they were told.

The door of the second lorry opened, and out stepped a rather fat man wearing a designer Italian suit. This man was the "Godfather" of the London Mafia, Giacomo Orsine. He took out his gun from his shoulder holster, and pointed it at the frightened man against the wall.

"You will tell me the security code.", he said. "If you wish to continue to use your lungs."

"Seven-alpha-serti-nine-three.", sputtered one of them.

"Thank you.", said Orsine.

He then pointed his gun at the man, and shot him in the forehead. One of his men then walked over to the security panel, and punched in the code. The massive door then swung open. As they did, about twenty men came out of the other two lorries, and followed Orsine into the main section of the power station.

While all this was going on, they did not notice that they were being watched by two members of the Black Squadron, the master of fire and ice, Celsius, and the telepath and second in command, Doctor Armand Theophilus.

"They never change.", said Theophilus. "They always use the same tactic to get into some heavily guarded building. This is almost too easy!"

"The plan is as always?", queried Celsius. "We let them steal the cavourite, then take them out?"

"Yes.", said Theophilus. But this time with a couple of variations. This time, we leave a message. Orsine's corpse, delivered on his doorstep!"

As Theophilus and Celsius stood on top of one of the buildings, they heard a familiar noise in the distance, the noise of police sirens. A silent alarm had been tripped by Orsine and his men. Minutes later, five police cars entered the grounds of the power station. They stopped, and several officers got out of the cars. All were heavily armed. Such were the changes over the past few years, the thought of the British Bobby being armed was thought of as ridiculous ten years ago. The policemen all took up positions outside the entrance, all save one. This one was not dressed in uniform, but dressed entirely in black. The one, the man in charge of the operation, grabbed a megaphone.

"Orsine!", he boomed. "Get your bloody arse out here now, or you'll find yourself looking like a Swiss cheese!"

Inside the plant, Orsine cursed.

"It's that damn Inspector Solo!", he snorted. "How the hell did he find out?"

"Do we carry on?", asked one of his henchmen.

"Of course we do you pencil-necked geek!", Orsine snapped. "We've got a deadline to meet!"

Solo signalled to his men to move in closer, and to try to get inside the power station. On the nearby roof, Celsius and Theophilus continued to watch with great interest.

"We may be saved a job.", said Theophilus. "Solo may kill Orsine for us!"

Solo and his men slowly moved closer to the entrance. Just as they did, some of Orsine's men opened fire.

"Take cover!", Solo cried. "Return fire!"

A gun battle ensued. Neither side gave any quarter. While half of Orsine's men engaged in the battle, the other half continued on their mission. On the roof, Theophilus and Celsius took great interest in the battle.

"Curses!", snapped Theophilus. "No one is winning! We'll have to attack anyway!" The two of them skirted across the rooftops of the power station. They soon came to the roof of the main generator. Celsius pointed his hands to the roof, and blasted a hole in it using his heat powers. Theophilus, followed by Celsius, jumped through the hole, and landed not far from the cavourite store. Just as they landed on the ground, about half a dozen of Orsine's henchmen entered the store. Celsius quickly turned round, and blasted them all with a fire burst. Where they stood, only ashes remained.

News of the death of his henchmen soon reached Orsine.

"We are fighting a losing battle!", he cried. "Move out!"

What was left of Orsine's party boarded one of the lorries, and they quickly drove out of the power station. Two of the police cares were rammed by the lorry. Some of the officers narrowly missed injury.

Into the station!", cried Solo. "That burning smell can only mean one thing. Celsius is here!"

They soon found the main cavourite store. They quickly hid when they saw Theophilus and Celsius unloading some of the cavourite. Solo signalled to the others to enter the store. Just as they were about to enter, a huge gust of wind blew past them into the store. Celsius and Theophilus also felt this gust, but it suddenly stopped, and in front of the two criminals stood a man clad in red, wearing a mask that covered his entire face.

The Jet!", cried Theophilus. "Kill him!"

Celsius raised his hands in the direction of Jet, and fired another fire blast, but Jet was too quick for him. Celsius continued to do this. All he succeeded in doing was setting the storeroom on fire.

"We've got to do something, Inspector!", cried one of the policemen.

"We can't!", cried Solo.

Celsius was having no luck against Jet. Jet suddenly stopped in front of him, and delivered a quick blow to his midsection. Another blow to his jaw, and Celsius was sprawled out on the floor. Theophilus turned his attention away from the cavourite. He placed his hands on his head and turned toward Jet. He was about to unleash a psychic blast when a bullet ripped through his shoulder. It came from Solo's pistol. Just as Jet was about to go after Theophilus, a strange, dark mist began to appear in the storeroom. A dark figure stepped out of the mist. He spoke.

"You have been ordered to return."

"Damn that woman!", cried Theophilus. "We almost succeeded!"

But his protest fell on deaf ears. The mist covered the two villains, then, the mist, and the villains, were gone.

Jet quickly put out the fire, and then he walked over to the cavourite store. Solo walked over as well.

"Thanks.", he said.

"You were stupid to get involved.", said Jet. "Theophilus is one of the most dangerous men in the world. He could have easily killed you if the Grim Reaper had not arrived!"

And with that, Jet flew away at high speed. Outside, a large crowd had been gathering. Extra police had arrived, and they were just managing to contain them when Solo arrived.

"Get this mob out of here!", he snapped. "When are these idiots going to learn?" A few minutes later, more police arrived. The crowd were soon moved away. A few reporters stayed, hoping to get a good cover story, but they were soon moved on. One man, however, stayed near the power station, gazing up at it while stroking his white moustache. Solo walked over to him.

"You shouldn't be here, old man.", he snapped. "This is no place for an old man."

The old man ignored him.

"Are you deaf as well as old?", snapped Solo.

"He did well.", mused the old man. "If only I had had more time to teach him. If only he wasn't hell bent on revenge."

"What the hell are you mumbling about?", snapped Solo, grabbing the old man's arm. "Now come on, get out of here!"

The old man shot him an icy stare.

"Never do that again, young man!"

The old man snatched his arm away, and began to walk on. As he did, he lighted his pipe. But Solo could not believe his eyes. It was as if the pipe had come out of nowhere. He put this down to the pressures of work. After all, it had been a long day.

Two days later, a special meeting was called. Present were the Prime Minister, Simon Harkes, the Home Secretary, Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman, the leader of the special task force that had been set up, Chief Inspector Charles Jeavons, and his second, Inspector Solo.

"I'm very disturbed by these recent events, gentlemen.", said Harkes. "The Docklands Power Station has been hit three times in the past four months. That, coupled with the other skirmishes in this so-called war. Something has to be gentlemen, I'm willing to listen to your ideas."

"I'm at a complete loss.", said Jeavons. "Both the Mob and the Black Squadron both want the same thing, cavourite. The Mafia to sell to the highest bidder, and the Squadron for I don't know what! Nothing we can do can stop them!"

"Are you saying there is nothing we can do?", said Campbell-Bannerman.

"There is something we may be able to do, sir.", said Solo.

"Go ahead.", said Harkes.

"We are losing men because they can't cope with both the Mob and the Squadron.", said Solo. "Our men just don't have the skills to cope. But there are some men who do have the skills. At the moment they are scattered all over the place, but if we were to bring them together, get them to join forces, we may be able to stop this thing."

"I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are.", said Jeavons. "Are you saying that we hand everything over to these blasted super-heroes?"

"Yes.", said Solo. "Over the past month or so, six super-powered men have stopped blood baths in London and the home counties. I've prepared files on these six men, and when they were last seen."

Solo handed copies of his files to the other three. "Such a project has never only ever been undertaken in this country once before.", said Solo. "It has worked in other countries before. The last instance it was tried over here was in the 1950's, with a group known as Anglo-Force."

"Are you saying we should re-form this group?", said Harked. "Surely they would all be in their sixties now, and if I remember correctly, their leader vanished over forty years ago!"

"I'm saying we should re-form Anglo-Force, but with all new members.", said Solo. I've been making contacts for a few days now. I think I can make contact with all of those men."

Harkes sat in thought for a few moments.

"You'll need headquarters, of course.", he said.

"We can't operate out of a phone box.", said Solo.

"You have my full backing.", said Harkes. "But I suggest we keep this a secret for a while. This conversation, and all it's details, must go no further than this room. Meeting adjourned."

The four men left their seats. Jeavons pulled Solo up outside.

"Don't you ever go over my head like that again, Solo.", he snapped. "We don't need any help from these nuts!"

"With all due respect, sir.", said Solo. "We are losing this thing. We need help, and I can get us this help!"

Two nights later, in London's exclusive Mayfair district, a burglar ran across the rooftops, until he came to the flat he was looking for. Slowly, he lowered a rope down the side of the building. He secured the rope to his belt, and started to abseil down the side of the building. He came to a window, and stopped. He peered in, and then took a small glass-cutter from his pocket. But before he could start cutting the glass, a shadow appeared behind him.

"Isn't it a bit late to be doing a bit of window shopping?"

The startled burglar turned around to see a figure clad in white hanging behind him on a rope. The burglar could tell who it was by the large letter on his chest.

"Mr. X!", he cried.

The burglar was scared out of his skin. He abseiled down the build as fast as he could. He knew that if Mr. X was around, Axe Kid wouldn't be far behind.

He ran down the street as fast as he could. Then he ducked into an alley. He continued to run, but he came to a dead end. He knew that there were no other means of escape. He was trapped. He could hear Mr. X's footsteps. The sound was getting louder and louder. They, they stopped. He breathed a sigh of relief because he thought he was safe. He was wrong. Before he knew it, he was floating in mid-air, halfway up the wall. Then, a strange figure flew down from above, and hovered in front of him. The face was that of an old man.

"I know Mr. X would not need any help in apprehending you.", said the old man. "But this is the only way I could think of making contact with him."

The old man placed his hand over the burglar's eyes, and a second later, he was asleep. They hovered back to the ground, and the man placed his hand on the burglar's chest for a split second. When he removed it, there was a small piece of paper there, with some writing on it. The man looked around, and when he saw there was no one approaching, he flew back up into the sky.

A minute later, Mr. X and Axe Kid came charging into the alley. They were surprised to see the burglar laying against the wall. They walked over to him.

Is he dead?", asked Axe Kid.

Mr. X checked his pulse.

"He's alive."

He then noticed the piece of paper on the burglar's chest. He picked it up, and read it aloud.

"Meet me at the old nuclear bunker in west London, tomorrow night. P.M."

"P.M.?", said Axe Kid. "Prime Minister, perhaps?"

"It's possible.", said Mr. X. "But it could also be a trap by either the Mob or the Black Squadron. We'll go, but we'll have to be on our toes."

At the same time, Inspector Solo stood on the banks of the river Thames. He stood near Tower Bridge, as if he was waiting for someone or something. While he waited, he started to smoke a cigarette. He gazed into the night sky. He noticed two flashes of light dart across the sky. When he saw this, he threw his cigarette to the ground, trod on it, and walked further on up the river. The two flashes began to get nearer and nearer to the ground. Then, as Solo stopped in his tracks, the two flashes turned into the shape of two men. The two men landed in front of Solo. The Inspector smiled. "You got my message then.", he said.

"I sure did. Star Man and Lightning Kid reporting for duty."

Star Man began to remove his mask.

"It's good to see you again, little brother!", said Solo.

"It's been a while.", Star Man replied, his mask now completely removed. "But with this Black Squadron thing going on, Jimbo and I have been rushed off our feet. We are getting nowhere!"

"I know the feeling.", said Solo. "That's why I called you here tonight."

"This Anglo-Force thing?", queried Lightning Kid.

"Yeah.", said Solo. "So far, you two have been the only one's I've been able to contact." "There's a rumour going around that some old man is getting in touch with some of the others.", said Star Man. "I haven't seen anything myself, but they say that one minute he is there, and the next, he's gone."

"I've seen something like that, too.", said Solo. "At the last few incidents, some old coot has been hanging around after everyone else has left. When I see him, it just gives me the creeps. It could be he's involved in this thing somehow. But he can't worry us at the moment. Are you...?"

"In?", asked Star Man, extending his hand. "You're damn right I am. Both of us are."

The next night, Harkes and Campbell-Bannerman sat in the old government nuclear bunker in west London. Soon after, Solo arrived.

"How many are coming tonight?", asked Harkes.

"Only two tonight, I'm afraid.", Solo replied.

Star Man and Lightning Kid arrived a couple of minutes later.

"This is all of it?", asked Harkes.

"I've been unable to contact the others.", said Solo. "They just seem to have vanished!"

Then the meeting will have to begin without them.", said Harkes.

The five of them sat down at the table. Just as Harkes began to speak, they heard a knocking sound. A minute later, Mr. X and Axe Kid arrived in the bunker.

"How did you find out about this meeting?", asked Harkes.

"You invited us, sir!", said Mr. X.

Just as Harkes was going to deny this, there was a gust of wind in the chamber as Jet arrived. A few seconds later, another super-powered being, the Chameleon, arrived.

"We have a security breach here.", said Campbell-Bannerman.

"How did you two know of this meeting?", shouted Harkes. "This is supposed to be top secret. Inspector Solo said he couldn't find you!"

"All I know is that some old git stopped me and said be here tonight at midnight.", said Jet.

"Same story here.", said Chameleon. "An old man stopped me after I stopped a bank raid in Piccadilly, and told me of this meeting."

"What did he look like?", asked Solo.

"Short, with a white moustache, wearing an old looking suit and a homburg hat." "Sounds like the one I've seen a few times.", said Solo.

"That's not the point of this meeting.", said Harkes. "You are all here now, so we'll begin. You all know about this situation, in and around London. We need a team of super-powered beings to try and stop this thing!"

Jet got to his feet, and walked towards the exit.

"Where are you going?", asked Solo.

"I'm not a team player.", said Jet. "I haven't been for over a year. If you want them, do it yourself. I'm only after the Black Squadron."

Star Man grabbed Jet's arm.

"We all want to put a stop to this thing.", he said. "It's been going on too long. The only way we can stop it is if we all work together. We need all the help we can get to stop the Mob and the Black Squadron."

"Why are you so bent on getting the Black Squadron anyway?", asked Mr. X. "We all dislike them, but you seem to hate them with a passion."

Jet removed his mask, revealing his horribly disfigured face. "I was involved in an air crash, about eighteen months ago. I was bringing a load of cavourite over from Voltania. The Black Squadron attacked us. My head was nearly blown clean off. The rest of my crew were killed. I don't know how, but somebody saved me. Since then I've had these powers, and since then, I've been doing anything to get my hands on them."

"We can help you.", said Solo. "If this thing is going to work, we need all the help we can get. All we need is your help to stop this war. After that, you can do whatever you want."

"He knows what he's talking about.", said Star Man.

"Okay.", snorted Jet. "I'm in, but only for this. After that, I'm off."

"Then we are all agreed.", said Harkes. "From tomorrow, we make our plans. Gentleman, Anglo-Force lives again!"

**CHAPTER TWO**

In a strange castle, on a small island north of the Scottish coast, the old man that had been seen often around London recently sat in a massive library. It looked as if there were millions of books lining the walls. He sat at his huge desk in ponderous silence. "The pieces are starting to fall into place.", he mused. "Inspector Solo, with my help, has gathered the forces he needs. Now all I can do is wait for a suitable time to make my entrance, to return to the world."

A day and a half later, the first official meeting took place. All were present. Solo presented his plan.

"Gentlemen.", he said. "After our first little meeting, I came up with an idea. It involves you, Jet. Apart from the Black Squadron, have you had any other dealings with organised crime?"

"No.", said Jet. "Orsine is scum, but he's not the one I've been after for over a year." "And that is our trump card.", said Solo. "Orsine has only seen you battle the Black Squadron, you haven't battled his cronies. How would you like to do a bit of undercover work?"

It was a beautiful day in the Hertfordshire countryside. It was on this day that Jet flew high above the trees and the fields, until he came to the place he was looking for. It was a large manor house, situated about ten miles from the nearest town. He landed nearby.

Inside the house sat Giacomo Orsine. He sat in front of five television screens. These screens were placed behind his large and rather expensive looking desk. Each screen carried a different image, images from the grounds of his country manor. On one of these monitors he had seen Jet landing.

"Vinnie!", he shouted. "We have an unwanted visitor. Send out the security teams and the dogs!"

First, the vicious rottweiler dogs were let out into the outer grounds of the estate. Jet soon saw them, so he quickly took to the air, and landed on the nearby roof. Four men with rifles soon saw him, aimed, and fired at him. Jet was way too fast for the bullets. He ran across the roof at a speed in excess of mach one until he came to the wing of the house he was looking for. He flew down to the window he sought and smashed through into the office of Giacomo Orsine.

"Guards!", Orsine cried.

Five henchmen wielding guns ran into the office. One grabbed Jet from behind, while the other hit him in the stomach with the rifle-butt. But these blows meant nothing to Jet. He quickly kicked one in the stomach and flipped the other over his shoulder. A swift blow to the jaw put another out of action. Another grabbed his arm, only to find himself flying through the already smashed window. The final guard aimed his pistol at Jet, but he had already moved. The bullet just missed Orsine's head.

"Call them off, Orsine.", cried Jet. "I'm here to talk, not to fight!"

Orsine did as he was asked.

"I know you!", he said. "You're the one who's been going after the Black Squadron. Get out of here now. I've no time for super-heroes. If you leave now you may live!"

"Just because I want to kill the Black Squadron does not mean I uphold the law!", said Jet. "The Black Squadron is our common enemy. You want to get rid of them almost as much as I do. If we help each other, we might just get the job done."

"I can get the job done without you!", said Orsine.

"You haven't so far.", said Jet. "Mother Nature and her creeps are no match for you. With me by your side, you have a better, a fighting chance."

Orsine sat for a few moments in thought. He knew that Jet was speaking the truth. He was losing this war. He needed Jet's help. He walked over to his cocktail cabinet, and poured himself a large scotch.

"We have a deal.", he smiled. "Until I have control of the entire cavourite supply, you will be in my employ. If you cross me, your life will end!"

Although Orsine had computerised detectors planted all over his manor house, they did not pick up the small transmitting device which Jet carried in his costume. It was sending signals back to the bunker in London.

"He's in!", said Solo. "And with Chameleon watching him, we'll soon know every movement that the Mob makes!"

"So now we just sit and wait, do we?", asked Mr. X.

"We won't be sitting around for long.", said Solo. "If my hunch is correct, we'll see some action in the next twenty four hours!"

Orsine took Jet on a guided tour of his manor house-come headquarters. He took him to a large building at the rear of his property. Inside, there was a lot of activity. It was from this building that the whole of Orsine's operations were being directed. "Here is where my fortune is made.", smirked Orsine.

"What fortune?", asked Jet. "The last six cavourite shipments were ripped off by the Black Squadron."

"Just a small setback.", said Orsine. "Soon, within a matter of months, the country's entire cavourite supply will be in my hands. Then, I will sell to the highest bidder, including the Black Squadron. I have even had interest from Sylvania."

"Sylvania?", said Jet. "Never heard of the place."

"You will, soon.", said Orsine. "Cavourite can not only generate great amounts of electrical power, it can also be used to create weapons more deadly than a nuclear warhead. My friend, soon the entire underworld shall toast the name of Giacomo Orsine!" Orsine could be sure that the Black Squadron would not be toasting his name. The Black Squadron had made their headquarters in an old disused factory in the east end of London. They had installed the best technology that stolen money could buy, and in the lab, Dr. Theophilus was hard at work, putting the final touches to his first "neo-mutant". His leader, Mother Nature, walked in.

"Is all ready, Doctor?", she asked.

"All of my machinery is ready and in complete working order.", replied Theophilus. "But this specimen you brought me may ruin the whole thing!" Theophilus pointed to a puny looking man, who was strapped down to the table in the centre of the room.

"Just look at him!", he said. "He's puny! I would have thought that you could at least have gotten me an athlete, or someone who was physically fit!"

"You should be thankful for the specimen you have!", said Nature. "Now stop bickering and start the process!"

Theophilus grunted, and walked over to a large machine. He switched it on, and a whirring noise began to fill the room. He then turned round to see a glow enveloping the table. The glow gradually got brighter and brighter, but the noise remained constant. Then, after a few minutes, the noise began to die down. The glow subsided. Theophilus switched off his machine. He walked over to the table. Instead of the weakling that had laid there minutes earlier, there now lay a mighty looking warrior, standing nearly seven foot in height. Muscles rippled all over his body.

"Is he alive?", asked Nature.

"Very much so!", Theophilus smiled. "My scanning equipment reveals that his strength has increased a thousand-fold. He can turn his skin into adamantium, the strongest known metal alloy. This man could lift an oil tanker with his pinky!"

"Excellent!", said Nature. "Trull is born! Now you must use your powers to bring him round to our way of thinking. Then, you must start work on the ultimate neo-mutant!" "Impossible!", snapped Theophilus. "We need more cavourite, at least five times the amount we used for Trull."

"Then you shall have more.", said Nature. "I know of a large amount of cavourite which is currently stored in the Hertfordshire countryside. We should be able to kill two birds with one stone!"

The time had come, the Black Squadron made it's way to Orsine's house. They were not unexpected. Orsine summoned Jet.

"The Black Squadron are on their way here. It's time for you to prove yourself." Closely followed by some of Orsine's henchmen, Jet left for the attack. As they moved outside the house, Trull picked up a huge stone lion and hurled it at them. It missed by smashed a hole in the wall. One of Orsine's men aimed at Theophilus, only to have his head explode as the mind master ruptured his brain. Jet followed the Grim Reaper, who moved into the house. Sensing his presence, the Reaper turned and fired a blast at Jet. In his haste to dodge, he crashed into a wall knocking himself unconscious. The Reaper stood over him, his scythe poised to end Jet's life. Then, the ever present old man appeared.

"You will take no life today.", he smiled. The Reaper found himself cast out of the house by some unknown source.

Mother Nature had been more successful. She had gained access to the strong room of the house. Together with Trull, she had taken all of Orsine's cavourite. As the Grim Reaper recovered to join them, a strange grey mist encased them, and then they were gone. Celsius flew high above the house and blasted it with fire. Then he left along with the rest of the Squadron.

Jet sent out a signal from his transmitter. Soon Solo and the fledgling Anglo-Force were on their way to the Hertfordshire countryside. As they drew nearer to their destination a car appeared below them. Then, as they watched in horror, it exploded. Solo called up the vehicle's details on his portable computer.

"That car belonged to Orsine."

He landed the helicopter. As he climbed out he noticed the old man again. "Quick, grab him!", he ordered. "He must know something about this." Lightning Kid lunged forward, but the old man had gone, and was nowhere to be seen. They moved on to Orsine's house. It was a scene of total devastation. The house was burning out of control. Battered and charred bodies lay everywhere. Chameleon moved over to where Jet stood, still in a dazed state. "We were told that Orsine had a cavourite store.", said Mr. X. "But my detector can't find any trace of it."

"Then it looks like the Black Squadron has won.", mused Star Man. "And how does that old man fit into all of this?"

"Any way I choose to, young man.", said a voice.

They whirled to see the old man behind them.

"You have taken the name of Anglo-Force. A noble name, dragged through the dirt by the government you now serve. The esteemed Mr. Harkes was a mere parliamentary under secretary forty years ago when he signed the order disbanding us." "What do you mean, us?", asked Chameleon. "I've studied the old files, you don't look like any of the old members. Beastmaster is on Skull Island, studying the giant apes there. Stingray is now running an electronics firm and the Highlander and Dr. Magus have not been seen for years!"

At the mention of the last name, the old man smiled.

"I've no time to mess around.", snarled Solo. "Who are you?"

"I will put it this way, young man. You all received notes recently initialled P.M., but the Prime Minister is not the only thing P.M. Stands for."

Chameleon's jaw dropped. "Phineas Magus?", he cried.

The old man bowed low, and then straightened up. The old suit was gone, replaced by the elegant black tailcoat of the master wizard. In his hand he held the cavourite topped cane which was the source of his power.

"How do we know you are who you say you are?", asked Solo, still suspicious. "Paul, how can you?", asked Chameleon.

"The emergency services will deal with things here.", said Magus. "I must depart as I have other things to attend to."

He smiled at Chameleon.

"I am touched that you remember me. I have been gone a long time."

With that, he vanished.

"I still don't trust that guy.", said Solo.

**CHAPTER THREE**

The cloaked figure of Dr. Magus stood atop a mountain in Scotland, staring into the sky. He seemed to be looking at nothing, but everything. Slowly, he vanished.

A cargo plane stood on the runway at N'dobe Airport, in the small Asian country of Voltania. The crown prince of Voltania, Prince T'Chuka, stood alongside Captain James Watt, watching the cavourite being loaded aboard the aircraft.

"Such a large quantity of cavourite has never been exported from my land before.", said T'Chuka.

"We fly directly to Heathrow under the guise of a civilian flight.", said Watt. The plane left Voltania within the hour. Magus followed it's flight, seeing all from his mountain fortress. Then, disaster struck.

"Left engine out, Jim!", cried Tom Smith, the co-pilot.

Watt turned to his co-pilot, to see the Grim Reaper sucking the life from his partner. Watt threw the plane into a dive but to no avail. Two heat blasts from Celsius sheared the wings off. The plane crashed into the Alps, ploughing deep into the snow. Watt tried to escape but a brain blast from Theophilus knocked him out.

"Is he dead?", asked Mother Nature.

"I used enough power to kill him.", replied Theophilus.

They set to work unloading the cavourite. When they had finished... "Hide the wreck, Celsius.", commanded Mother Nature. "Freeze it into the snow!" As cavourite dust swirled around inside the plane Celsius covered it with ice blasts from his hands. The Black Squadron left. The mysterious cloaked figure that was Dr. Magus appeared and removed Jim Watt from the ice.

Watt awoke what seemed like moments later. He was lying in a four poster bed in an oak panelled room. Dr. Magus sat beside the bed.

"Where am I?", asked Watt. "How long have I been here?"

Magus smiled. "Two months.", he said. "I watched the attack on your craft and brought you here."

"I've been here for two months?", cried Watt.

"Don't be surprised, my dear boy.", soothed Magus. "You are now quite well again, possibly better than before."

"Who are you?", asked Watt.

"I am Dr. Phineas Magus.", he said, bowing low. "Keeper of the Secrets, alchemist, sorcerer, doctor of medicine!"

"Sorcerer!", cried Watt. "There are no such things!"

Ice blue eyes twinkled behind the old man's spectacles.

"You live in a world where men fly without the aid of any machine, and you doubt the existence of magic!", said Magus.

"Very well then.", said Watt. "What are you?"

"I told you.", said Magus. "I am a sorcerer. I have been for hundreds of years!"

"You're immortal?", asked Watt.

"That is so.", replied Magus. "I was already old when the world as you know it was young. I am of the Mair. We are a group of beings created before all other races. Some of us choose to live as water spirits, some remained outside the realms of man. Others, myself included, chose to study magic. I am as skilled in the practice of voodoo as I am in Celtic magic. Give me the right ingredients and I can move mountains. Without such ingredients, I can still work magic, but I am afraid it is limited by the amount of energy I can channel. But enough of me my friend, come, arise!"

Magus led Watt to the window. They stepped out onto the balcony and gazed out onto the Scottish countryside. Then, as Watt looked down, the balcony was gone. Watt plunged earthwards.

"Think, Watt! Will yourself to fly!", cried Magus.

Watt closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. It never came. He soared upwards, then once he had mustered the skill he landed next to Magus.

"What happened to me?", he asked.

"The cavourite you were exposed to, and the ice of Celsius have combined, along with a cure of my own to grant you incredible strength and the power of flight. I have only used the cure once before, but last time my patient sought revenge on his attackers before it was complete. You shall remain here until we face your attackers together!"

In the two months since the crash, the Mafia's operations in England had all but come to a stand still. Most of their key members had been killed in the attack on Orsine's country estate. The Black Squadron had also been very quiet. Never the less, Inspector Solo and his group continued to stay in the underground bunker.

"What the bloody hell is happening?", shouted Jet. "Two months since the Black Squadron were last seen in Switzerland! Not a bloody dicky-bird from them!"

Solo sat in front of a computer screen.

"I don't like it either!", he said. "Our main aim was to stop this war without any bloodshed. The Black Squadron wiped out Orsine's gang in one afternoon. Now they have twice the amount of cavourite they had before."

"Enough to created a whole army of neo-mutants.", said Star Man. "Or one whopping great big one!"

"Yeah.", said Solo. "And that old factory in the east end was left yonks ago!"

"So what do we do now?", asked Lightning Kid. "We can't just sit around and do nothing."

"There's nothing else we can do.", said Solo. "For now, we just sit and wait."

The Black Squadron had not been sitting around and waiting, They had relocated their headquarters in the white cliffs of Dover, in the old WWII caverns reserved for Winston Churchill and his government. But one of their number, Celsius, was not happy. Damn you, Theophilus.", he shouted. "For weeks we've done absolutely nothing! When is this 'ultimate mutant' going to be ready?"

Patience, my hot-headed comrade.", said Theophilus. "Creating the ultimate power on this planet takes time, and a lot of effort!"

Celsius is right.", said Mother Nature. "You have had too much time. We must strike soon, and Supremus must be by our side if we are to take over this country, and the rest of Europe!"

So be it!", sneered Theophilus. "But this may cost us! Just one slight error and the whole thing will blow up in our faces. Follow me."

Theophilus led the others into his lab. They walked over to the table in the centre of the room.

Under this cover is another creation of mine.", said Theophilus. "Proto-plasm, dead tissue."

Why couldn't you use a man, like you did with Trull?", asked Vampira.

No one man fitted the bill.", replied Theophilus. "No one man met the requirements needed to become Supremus. Apart from proto-plasm, the procedure is the same."

Enough of this talking.", said Mother Nature. "We must strike now!"

Very well then.", said Theophilus.

Theophilus walked over to a large machine, and pressed a button. There was a hum as the machine warmed itself up. He then walked over to another machine and adjusted it. He walked over to the table, and removed the cover. Then he walked over to the main control panel, and then all was complete. The process had started. A glow began to cover the table. It gradually got brighter and brighter. The humming noise continued. The shapeless proto-plasm began to take form. The form began to grow until it was at least ten feet in length. Muscles began to form. Hands, feet, arms, legs and hair followed. Then, the glow subsided. The process was complete. Theophilus walked over to the table and placed his hand on the giant man's head. His hand only remained there for a few seconds. An energy blast sent Theophilus flying across the room. Celsius ran over to his fallen comrade.

His mind is powerful!", said Theophilus. "Too much for my powers!"

Mother Nature laughed. "You have indeed created a mighty lackey for me!", she said. "Arise, Supremus, arise!"

The mighty form on the table began to move. Then, it sat up. "I am Supremus. To whom do I answer to?"

"You answer to me, Mother Nature! I am your mistress! You answer only to me!"

"I have ultimate power!", said Supremus. "I am here to serve you!"

"Now my plans are complete!", said Mother Nature. "Within forty-eight hours this country will be at my feet!"

"What is our target?", asked the Grim Reaper.

"Westminster!"Two days later, Solo and Mr. X were again making their routine helicopter patrols above London. They followed the River Thames, towards the House of Commons.

"How much longer do you think this will go on?", asked Mr. X. But before Solo could reply, he saw a streak of fire across the sky, headed towards Westminster.

"Look!", cried Solo. "Celsius! Call back to the bunker. Looks like we're going to see the action you wanted!"

Mr. X called back to the bunker, while Solo followed Celsius. When Celsius was bout fifty feet away from the House of Commons, he fired two heat blasts, which missed the House by mere inches. As the helicopter got nearer the House, Mr. X leapt out, and ran after Celsius, who had now landed. He began to aim an ice blast at the house, but Mr. X charged him. House of Commons security men ran out, to see the two battling each other. Security had been stepped up on this day, because the House was in session, and a special visitor was to speak, the crown prince of Voltania, T'Chuka.

Solo had landed the helicopter, and rain to join the battle. Suddenly, searing pain ripped into his skull. He fell to the ground, only to see Dr. Theophilus standing over him.

"You are a powerless fool!", he sneered. "You are no match for anybody!"

Then, a huge axe when flying past him, it's handle catching him on the shoulder. "How about an even battle then, Doc?", queried Axe Kid.

"No one is a match for Armand Theophilus!", he sneered.

But before he could do anything, Axe Kid ran towards him, somersaulted, and booted him in the face.

"Brute force works sometimes!", Axe Kid smiled.

Mr. X continued to battle Celsius. Mr. X tried to draw him away from the House of Commons. They battled in the streets, stopping all the traffic. Axe Kid was about to join the battle when he noticed Vampira flying towards him. Once icy glare from her, the Axe Kid seemed to go into a trance. He froze. Vampira landed in from of him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. She opened her mouth, revealing long, canine-like fangs, and started to move towards Axe Kid's neck. But before she could do any damage, Axe Kid was whisked away at high speed, the speed of a Jet!

As soon as he was way from Vampira, Axe Kid regained his senses. He had no clue what had been going on, and Jet set him down on the roof of the House. The House of Commons security men entered the main chamber just as Prince T'Chuka was about to speak. Quickly, the members were evacuated, but as in such situations, there was panic.

Meanwhile, outside, Trull had arrived on the scene. Jet went to battle him, but his strength was no match for the steel-like giant. Trull picked him up like he was a rag doll, and tossed him to the ground. He was about to go for the kill when a nova blast hit him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Star Man had arrived, and Lightning Kid was not far behind. Then, the battle scene was complete. A mist began to form not far away, and the Grim Reaper and Mother Nature were not on the scene. But she could not believe her eyes.

"Mr. X! Ace Kid! Star Man and Lightning Kid!", she shouted. "What the bloody hell are they doing here?"

What she did not notice was that behind her, a form began to appear. It was as if a part of the House was 'phasing'. In fact, it was a man making himself seen. It was the Chameleon. Mother Nature turned around, and was even more shocked.

"I don't condone violence against women.", said Chameleon. "That's why I'm going to do this."

Chameleon clenched his fist, and slugged the Grim Reaper. This had some effect as he was floored. Mother Nature had not counted on this. Her Black Squadron were being soundly defeated, and she knew what she had to pressed a small button on her bracelet, and soon, in the sky above, the huge form of Supremus appeared. As he appeared Mother Nature notice the car of Simon Harkes, the Prime Minister, speeding away.

"Supremus!", ordered Mother Nature. "There is your target! Bring Harkes to me!" Supremus carried out his orders. He landed on the road, and Harkes' driver could do nothing but stop the car. He then picked it up as if it was a Dinky toy, pulled the driver out, and threw him to the ground. He was killed as soon as he hit the ground. He then pulled Harkes out of the car. Supremus did not notice that there had been another car behind Harkes'. It was a diplomatic car from the Voltanian embassy. It was carrying Prince T'Chuka. Instead of ordering his driver to carry on, the car stopped, and T'Chuka got out. He then began to transform himself. Fur began to grow on his body. His face began to change. He started to look like a cat. Claws began to grown out of the back of his hands. His ears became pointed. Whiskers began to grown out of his face. The fur became stripped. Where once Prince T'Chuka stood, now stood the Tiger! The Tiger went onto the roof of the car, and leapt towards Supremus. His claws bared, he attacked the giant, clawing the arm and hand that was holding Harkes. This attacked would have felled any normal man, but Supremus was no normal man. He paid no attention to Tiger, and began to walk away. Mother Nature saw him.

"Supremus!", she shouted. "Bring Harkes to me!"

Supremus just stared at her.

"Supremus!", she shouted again. "I order you! Bring Harkes to me!"

"No!", boomed Supremus. "Nobody gives orders to me!"

"I give the orders to you!", shouted Mother Nature. "I created you! You will do my bidding!"

Supremus pointed his finger at Mother Nature, and fired an energy blast at her, sending her flying. When he fellow Black Squadron members saw Supremus' attack on her, they broke off their attack on the super-heroes.

"Supremus!", cried Theophilus. "You are a member of the Black Squadron. You are my creation!"

"I am Supremus! I am ultimate power! No one stands in my way!"He pointed his finger at Theophilus, and an energy blast sent him flying. After this attack, Trull, Celsius and Vampira ran towards Supremus. Trull went to attack his leg while Celsius fired a heat blast at his chest. Neither of these attacks had any effect. Then, the Grim Reaper walked over. He was carrying the fallen Mother Nature and Dr. Theophilus.

"We can not win here.", he said. "We must retreat."

"Never!", cried Celsius. "He is a traitor! He must pay!"

But before Celsius could launch another attack, the mist appeared again, and the Black Squadron were gone, soundly defeated by their own creation. The others went to see what was going on. They stopped not far from the giant.

"Fear me, mortals! I am Supremus! I have ultimate power! I am a god, and you all mean nothing to me! You will all be my slaves!"

Supremus was still holding Harkes in one hand. He raised that hand in the air, and threw the Prime Minister across the sky.

"Jet!", cried Chameleon.

"On my way!", said Jet.

But before Jet could even start, a massive gust of wind blew past Tiger and Mr. X. Just as Harkes was about to hit the ground, he was saved. A barely conscious Harkes found himself in the arms of another costumed man.

"Where am I?", he asked. "Who are you?"

"Captain James Watt at your service sir. But these days, I prefer to be called just 'Captain'!"

Watt returned Harkes to the ground, and joined the others. Jet, Mr. X, Axe Kid, Star Man, Lightning Kid, Chameleon, Solo, Tiger and Watt stood in front of Supremus.

"We must attack him at once.", said Watt. "Until reinforcements arrive!" "Why the hell should we listen to you?", shouted Jet. "We don't even know who you are!"

"Just do as he says.", said Solo. "I've got a feeling about this!"

Star Man and Lightning Kid aimed their blasts at Supremus' chest. Axe Kid's axe had no effect on him. Watt's mighty blows had no effect on him. Tiger ripped apart his costume. But all of these blows meant nothing to Supremus. Then, the reinforcements, or rather, one man, arrived.

"Great!", cried Axe Kid. "First of all we get some bargain basement Superman, now his grandfather arrives!"

Magus smiled, and gazed up at Supremus.

"A combination of proto-plasm and cavourite.", he mused.

"What do you suggest?", asked Solo.

"I'm going to have a word with him. He has not been in existence long. Perhaps he doesn't know the full extent of his abilities."

Jet and Star Man stepped forward but before they could assist Magus he had risen to eye level with Supremus.

"Begone, mortal!", cried the neo-mutant.

A blast of pure energy struck Magus, but the wizard was ready for it. He dissipated the blast.

"You are not a god, Supremus.", smiled Magus. "And you are not the only immortal here!"

"You are no match for me, old man!", cried blast shot through the air. Magus moved his cane once more, absorbing the blast into the cane. Thus it continued, Magus taking no action, avoiding the neo-mutant's attack, taunting him.

"What is he doing?", asked Star Man. "Watt, if he's a wizard, why doesn't he just blast Supremus?"

"I think I see what he's doing.", said Solo. "Supremus is expending power trying to kill Magus. He looks weaker."

"And look at that cane!", added Chameleon. "It's surging with energy!"

Then Magus pointed the cane at Supremus.

"You fool!", he sneered. "Have you energy back!"

A blast of cavourite energy struck Supremus, knocking him from his perch. Magus followed him down. Supremus staggered to his feet and lunged at Magus, but the wizard gestured once more, knocking Supremus back. As the neo-mutant lay prone, Magus brought his gem-topped cane down on Supremus. Once more he stole the energy from the mutant. Then Watt entered the fray. Magus had reduced Supremus to a manageable state. Using all the strength he had gained in his cure Watt dealt Supremus a crushing blow. As the neo-mutant lapsed into unconsciousness Magus strapped a cavourite helmet onto his head.

"It will keep him in an unconscious state."

Solo stepped forward.

"Where did you two come from?", he asked.

"The Captain here from the last shipment of cavourite.", said Magus. "And as for I - well, it would take too long to explain!"

"What do we do now?", asked Axe Kid. "Do we try to find the Black Squadron?" "There is no point, my boy.", said Magus. "They've retreated to lick their wounds. We won't be hearing from them for some time. I suggest that we first check on Mr. Harkes, and get someone to tidy up this place!"

A week later, Simon Harkes called a meeting in his office. Present were Chief Inspector Jeavons, Home Secretary Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman, Inspector Solo, Dr. Magus, James Watt, Mr. X, Prince T'Chuka and the rest of the super-heroes.

"Gentlemen.", said Harkes. "After the recent success of this operation, I have had a lengthy deliberation with my cabinet. For once, we are in total agreement. It concerns 'Anglo-Force'."

"Is it good news, sir?", asked Solo.

"I'm putting a bill before parliament.", said Sir Angus. "A force of super-powered beings is needed in this country. A lot of things have happened over the last few years and I want to put a stop to them. I want to stop these things from happening again. I was just starting on my political career when the original Anglo-Force was disbanded, and I still believe that it was a grave mistake. Both Houses will vote on this, and Anglo-Force will soon, once again, be protecting this country."

"But that process could take months.", said Mr. X.

"That is something we'll have to live with.", said Harkes. "But until you receive government funding, I want you to remain active as a group. Anglo-Force will exist, unofficially, for a few months at least."

"I may be able to provide funding until then.", said Magus. "I've got a few million lying around somewhere."

Then, Jet stood up.

"I'm afraid that I will be unable to join the group.", he said. "I've always been a loner, and prefer to work on my own. It's been good working with you all, but I'm afraid it's going to have to end here."

Magus placed his hand on Jet's shoulder.

"We each have our own destiny.", he said. "And yours lies on a different path. We will meet again, destiny decrees so."

Jet shook Magus by the hand.

"Thank you for my life.", he said.

He then departed, via the window.

"I, too, must go.", said Prince T'Chuka. "My visit to your country has been...most exhausting! And I also have a plane to catch!"

"I understand, your highness.", said Harkes.

"There is one more thing, sir.", said Solo. "What role do I now serve?"

"For now, you will return to your normal duties.", said Sir Angus. "When the Anglo-Force bill goes through parliament, you will be promoted to the rank of Chief Inspector, and become the official liaison between Anglo-Force and the police force. I will try to push the bill through as fast as I can, but until then, I wish you all the best of luck. May the new Anglo-Force have a long and prosperous life!"

And so Anglo-Force was reborn...

**CHAPTER FOUR**

A few days had passed since the battle with the Black Squadron. They met regularly at the shelter, but it was not to their liking.

"It's no good." said Chameleon. "This place was okay for the cavourite operation, but as a permanent HQ, it sucks!"

"What other choice do we have?" said Star Man. "There's no other place to go, and this place is pretty cheap, rent-wise."

Magus moved his hand across the air, and an image appeared.

"Behold!" he said. "Craigmillar Castle! My home for centuries. It will do until the government offer us something more permanent."

"With all due respect" said Mr. X, "it's a bit too far north. We need something a bit more inland. And besides, we can sort this out later. We have more important business. We have to decide on a leader."

"Right." said Star Man. "We can't just go into battle without any plan, any direction, whatever the situation. But how do we decide?"

"Democracy." said Watt. "We'll hold a ballot. If it works for the free world, it'll work for Anglo-Force."

"May I suggest one rule." said Magus. "That we do not vote for ourselves, otherwise, it would be a seven way dead heat."

"Agreed." said Mr. X.

A ballot was held. Five minutes passed while it took place. Magus counted the votes. "I congratulate you, Mr. X." said Magus. "You are Anglo-Force's first leader." The meeting ended soon afterwards. As there was nothing much happening, they all made their way to their respective homes.

Watt flew out of the secret passage, toward his flat in Kensington. He was still getting used to his powers. He knew that he could withstand almost any type of explosion, and that only one thing could kill him - old age. But he wanted to test his speed capabilities, so he did. A journey that would take twenty minutes by car took Watt less than two. He began to slow down as he neared his flat. As he did, he noticed a few reporters standing by his door. They had been there since the battle with Supremus, because unlike other super-heroes, he did not keep his identity secret. So he decided to go in the back way, and fly through his back he changed his course, he noticed something that looked familiar to him, but also something he had not seen for a few years. He could see a red streak across the sky. He decided to follow it. With his new powers he would have no trouble. He followed the red streak. Within seconds, he could see what he wanted to. It was a woman, clad entirely in red, with long, flowing, blonde hair, blowing in the wind. Quickly, he overtook her. Then, he saw her face. A face he had not seen in four years. "Greetings, James, from the Commonwealth of Independent States. Or should I call you Captain now?"

A broad smile appeared on Watt's face.

"Kate!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, Jim. When I'm working, I prefer to be called Red Sun."

"You still haven't answered my question, Kate." said Watt. "What are you doing in London?"

"I've retired from the army. And I decided to check out a few old friends, and you are top of my list. Is there somewhere else where we can talk? We have four years to make up for!"

"Sure!" said Watt. "We can go back to my place. It won't be much trouble getting past the tabloid press!"

The Old Bailey had been a bastion of British justice for centuries, but on this day justice was not served. The trial of Peter Oswald was not going as the prosecution had hoped.

"We cannot allow criminals like this man to walk the streets." cried Arthur Pendragon, the prosecuting lawyer. "He has been shown to be behind a series of major crimes across the country."

Stockwell, the defence counsel, rose.

"My lord, the prosecution has no real evidence. That which they have presented is merely circumstantial."

The judge looked down on Pendragon sternly.

"I am afraid, Pendragon, that I must agree. The case is dismissed."

The courtroom began to clear. Oswald sidled up to Pendragon.

"Your pal White Knight should be more careful. I'd have been inside if he hadn't destroyed the evidence against me."

An evil laugh filled the courtroom.

"You still haven't explained to me." said Watt. "What are you doing here in London?" "I heard about your accident." said Kate. "I was afraid that you were lost to me altogether. But when I arrived four days ago, I saw your face in all the newspapers. I thought that now you had super-powers, maybe you'd want to try and keep up with me!"

Watt walked over to her.

"Katrina," he said, "seeing you again has brought back all of those memories, the good and the bad ones. I just don't know if I'm ready to get involved with anyone right now. I've got a lot of things on my mind. I've got to decide if I want to keep on with this super-hero thing. After all, this is all new to me. You've had all of your life to deal with this sort of thing."

Kate kissed Watt on his cheek.

"Then maybe I can help you come to terms with it." she said. "Let me help you."

Watt smiled.

"That's the best offer I've had all day!"

Arthur Pendragon was not a happy man. As he sat in his Jaguar XJS, driving to his country estate, his thoughts went back to the courtroom scene from hours ago. Just the thought of a man like Peter Oswald, the Gunner, brought a foul taste to his mouth. Soon, he entered the courtyard of his estate. After getting out of the car, he did not go into the house. Instead, he went to the stables. With it now being dark, all the stable hands would have retired for the evening. He was all alone. There was hardly any light, but Pendragon could see where he was going. He came to the biggest stable, opened the door, and turned on the light. He was greeted by a fine, white steed with a long, flowing mane. The horse trotted over to Pendragon. He began to bob his head, and snorted a lot.

"Easy, Galador, my old friend!" smiled Pendragon. "It's good to see you too!"

Galador nuzzled Pendragon's ear.

"I know, my friend. It's been a long time! But don't worry. You will see the sky again soon, I promise. I've got to go now. I've got a call to make." Galador snorted.

"Yes, I'm calling him. I'll send your regards. Good night old friend." Pendragon turned out the light, and walked into the house. He walked into his private study. He turned on the light, and sat at his desk. In front of him stood a crystal, inside a glass casing.

Pendragon removed the casing, and the crystal started to glow. Then, a small image appeared in front of the crystal. It was the image of an old man, with a long white beard and long white hair. It was Merlin.

"Greetings, Arthur. It's been a long time." he said. "You only speak to me when you are troubled."

"You know me well, Merlin!" Pendragon replied. "I have failed. Peter Oswald is free again."

"Is this the evil you spoke of during our last discussion?" asked Merlin.

"Yes." replied Pendragon. "But I never seem able to win against Oswald. He always managed to use some trickery to go free. And with his cast knowledge of weapons and machinery, he seems too much for me to handle."

"You must remember one thing, Arthur." said Merlin. "Good will always prevail over evil. But sometimes, you must join forces with others like you to combat the evil. Seek out the one known as Magus. He has new allies who may be able to help you. But do not go to him as Arthur Pendragon. Go to him as the White Knight!"

"Thank you, Merlin." said Pendragon. "As always you have been a great help." The image vanished. Pendragon walked over to the fireplace. Hanging above the fireplace was a large sword. Pendragon picked it up.

"Excalibur! Your might power is needed once more!"

Now Pendragon was replaced by White Knight. Taking Galador, he took to the air. Once aloft the held Excalibur out before him. The sword began to tug, like a tracking dog on a leash.

Magus was seated in the Royal Albert Hall, listening to a performance of Schubert's Ave Maria, the soloist being his adopted son, Thomas Leacock. Then, the performance stopped. An official walked out onto the stage.

"Is there a Doctor Phineas Magus in the house? You are required outside."

Magus quietly dematerialized and reappeared outside. He could see no one.

"I know you are here. You'd better show yourself."

White Knight stepped our of cover.

"I was told to seek you by Merlin." he said.

"You must be White Knight. I recognise Excalibur."

White Knight bowed.

"He says you can help me find allies."

"I sense you are telling the truth. Although I would say it's the first sensible thing Merlin has done, sending you to me."

Magus looked back at the hall, which was now beginning to empty.

"You do realise I've missed a Schubert recital because of you?" sighed Magus. "If you knew what I did you wouldn't care about Schubert." replied White Knight. "My dear boy, I know everything you know, and more, and as for not caring about Schubert, he was one of the nicest fellows I ever met."

He looked around.

"I presume you have a horse somewhere. Bring him out. I may be a wizard but I don't intend teleporting half of Hyde Park."

Galador appeared, and all three vanished to reappear in the bunker. Chameleon hurried over.

"I recognise you. You're the White Knight!"

"Pleased to meet you. Merlin was right, I have found allies."

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The night passed. At his Kensington flat, Watt was getting up. He walked into his living room and drew back the curtains. It was a bright and sunny day. He was about to walk into the kitchen when he heard a familiar beeping noise. He went over to his coffee table and picked up a small object. It was a transmitter given to him by Mr. X, so he could be contacted in an emergency. It contained a small screen. Watt turned it on, to see Chameleon on the screen.

"Jim! I'm glad you're up. " he said. "You're not going to believe this one. There's a Messerschmitt bombing the river Thames!"

"Lewis, if this is some kind of joke, it's too early in the morning!" said Watt.

"It's no joke Jim." said Chameleon. "Magus and White Knight are already on their way there, but they'll need help!"

"White Knight?" queried Watt. "What's he doing there?"

"It'll take a long time to explain." replied Chameleon. "Just hurry!"

Watt walked back into his bedroom, and put on his costume. Just as he was about to leave, a half-naked Katrina came out of the bathroom.

"James!" she said. "Where are you going?"

"It's an emergency, Kate." Watt replied. "No time to explain!"

"You can explain to me on the way." said Kate. "I'm coming with you."

Quickly, Katrina put on her costume, and then, the Captain and Red Sun left together. The likes of a Messerschmitt ME 109-E had not been seen in London for over fifty years. And the sight of one now shocked many. The plane was not dropping bombs onto the bridges, but only into the water, damaging many of the boats. As it continued on it's journey up the river, Magus started to catch up to it. Not far behind him was White Knight on Galador.

"What do we do, Doctor?" asked White Knight. "I'm afraid I'm powerless against something like this."

Magus held his hand aloft, and it began to glow, a glow of mystical energy. He then pointed his hand at the plane, and directed a blast at the tail section. After a blast like that, any normal plane would have crashed. But this was not a normal plane. It continued on it's journey.

"Impossible!" cried White Knight.

Then, just as the plane was about to dive bomb a cruiser, a gust of wind blew past Magus and White Knight. The plane flew high into the air. It was obvious that Watt was holding it aloft. He then got faster and faster. As he neared mach three, the plane began to break up. Then, it fell apart completely. As the plane broke up the pilot began to fall to the ground. But twenty feet from the ground the pilot just stopped. A cushion of warm air stopped him from hitting the ground, courtesy of Red Sun. Gently, she lowered the pilot to the ground. Magus and White Knight landed next to the pilot.

"It's a Gundroid!" said White Knight. "I should have known he'd do something like this! But how did he land on the ground so softly?"

The answer was soon forthcoming, as the Captain and Red Sun landed. "Nice of you to join us, James." said Magus. "And the answer to your question is here also, White Knight."

"This is Red Sun." said Watt.

"Red Sun?" queried Magus. "You're the last person I expected to see here." Then, a laser blast ripped into the ground near them. They all looked up to see four Gundroids pounce on them. Watt quickly picked up one and threw it into the river. White Knight sliced up another, Red Sun blasted the third, and Magus made the final one vanish.

"What's going on here?" asked Watt. "Where do all these robots keep coming from?" "Heard of Peter Oswald?" asked White Knight. "He's out on the town again."

Then another, more powerful laser blast ripped into the ground. They looked up again to see a figure clad in white hovering above them courtesy of a jet-pac.

"It's him!" said White Knight. "It's Gunner!"

"Greetings, White Knight!" he boomed. "And this time I see you've brought some play-mates with you! A pity I do not recognise any of them, because if I did, it would make more fun killing them!"

Gunner raised his laser rifle, and fired an even more powerful blast at them. Whilst the Captain, White Knight and Red Sun jumped for cover, Magus just stood there. The blast left a two foot deep crater in the ground, which Magus now stood in the middle of.

"I don't believe it!" said Gunner. "No one has ever survived a laser blast of that power before! I did not anticipate this! I must regroup."

And with that Gunner turned around and flew away. The Captain and Red Sun flew after him. Gunner looked round, and spotted them.

"Damn!" he cursed.

He took out a small device from his belt, and activated it. As the Captain neared Gunner, he pressed a button, and a force-field surrounded the weapons master.

"Ha!" laughed Gunner. "No one has ever broken into one of my force-fields before!" "Not until now!" said Watt.

Watt flew into the air to gain the momentum he needed. Then, he changed his course, and headed straight toward Gunner. At near mach three speed, Watt burst through Gunner's force-field, and smashed into his jet pac. There was a small explosion, and Gunner went crashing into the ground.

Curses!" he said. "I must now definitely retreat!"

Gunner ducked into an alley. Watt and Red Sun landed nearby. Magus and White Knight were not far behind.

"Where did he go?" asked White Knight.

"Dow that alley" said Red Sun.

White Knight and Galador went down the alley. They saw no one, except for an old tramp.

"Hey you!" shouted White Knight. "Did you see anyone come down here?"

"Na guv!" replied the tramp. "'Ave ya got fifty pee for a cuppa?"

White Knight and Galador left the alley to join the others.

"Gone!" he said. "I've lost him again!"

"Perhaps not." said Magus. "I can sense his presence nearby. We may yet catch him!"

Magus thought for a moment.

"You three keep an eye on that tramp." he said. "I've got something to check up on."

And with that, Magus took to the skies.

"So what now?" asked Red Sun.

Then, the tramp left the alley. He stopped, and looked over at the three of them. With a limp, he then continued on his way.

"Notice his shoes?" said Watt. "A tramp wouldn't have shoes that clean! It's Gunner!"

"But how do we follow him without being seen?" asked White Knight.

"I can use my speed powers." said Watt. "I can stay close to him. You two follow from above. Stay high enough so he can't see you. Understood?"

White Knight and Red Sun followed Gunner from above, while Watt, vibrating his atoms at super speed, followed him from the ground. As he was having to limp to keep with the character, it took Gunner almost two hours to get to his destination. He went to an old building that used to be used by Muir Industries, a company which dealt in electronics. They last used the building years ago. It's layout was perfect for Gunner. It contained some of the technology he required. As soon as he had entered the building, Gunner made his way to the control room. There he sat in front of a large control panel, and he turned on six view screens.

"The flies are about to enter the spider's web." he said.

Evil laughter filled the room.

A few minutes later, Watt landed outside the building. He landed near White Knight and Red Sun.

"This is the only entrance." said Watt. "And it does not take an idiot to see that this door is made of adamantium."

"The strongest metal known to man." said White Knight. "So how do we get in?" Watt took two steps sideways, so he was now facing a wall. With one mighty blow, he smashed a huge man-sized hole in the wall.

"I said the door was made of adamantium." said Watt. "Not the wall!"

Gunner still sat in his control room.

"Curse you Captain!" he mused. "I'll have to rely on Muir's technology now!"

Gunner grabbed two joysticks on the control panel, and pressed the button on one of them. Watt, Red Sun and White Knight entered a large empty room. The walls were lined with metal.

"Well." said White Knight. "No problems so far."

"Don't count your chickens." said Watt. "Look up there!"

Watt pointed to the ceiling, where a small hatch opened. From out of the hatch came three, small, hovering droids.

"I've read about these things." said Watt. "It's the Muir XS-1 attack droid. They examine your strengths, then try to counter-attack you, so be careful."

One of the droids hovered about Red Sun. She raised her hands and fired a sun blast at the droid. The droid immediately covered itself in a force-field. Watt counter attacked, and grabbed the droid and threw it at the wall at high second droid moved toward White Knight. He removed Excalibur from it's sheath. As the droid got closer, it began to fire laser blasts. White Knight blocked each one with Excalibur. As soon as it got closer, he carved up the droid. Then, the final droid flew toward Watt, but he was too quick for it. A quick blow smashed it into a thousand pieces. As the three made their way to the other exit, another two droids appeared. Before Watt could act, they surrounded him and covered him in a red glow. The glow made him powerless, and it held him in mid-air. "It's cavourite." said Red Sun. "The only thing that can stop Sun raised her hands, but before she could fire a sun blast both droids encased themselves in a force field. White Knight tried cutting the force field, but even Excalibur was of no use against it.

"We'll have to find Gunner." he called.

They walked through a long corridor into another room. Before them stood four Gundroids, more powerful than those they had encountered before. They rushed White Knight and Red Sun, holding them to the ground. Red Sun used a blast to free herself, and then took care of her companion's captors.

"Come on." urged White Knight. "There isn't much time left!"

But as they rose to leave two more droids encased Red Sun in another force-field, this one being resistant to her powers.

"So it's me that he wants." thought White Knight. "So he can have me!"

White Knight entered the next room. It was in total darkness. He could not see a thing. Then, he heard a humming sound.

"At last, White Knight, we are alone!"

The hum got louder and louder, and then a strip of light appeared. The light covered the whole room. In front of White Knight stood his arch-enemy, Gunner, light-sword in hand.

"Excalibur is no match for my light-sword!" said Gunner. "Prepare to meet your maker!"

Gunner leapt toward White Knight, and was about to bring his sword down onto White Knight. He used quick reflexes to bring Excalibur up in time. The battle continued for many minutes. On many occasions, both men nearly ended it. Then, Gunner kicked White Knight in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Excalibur flew out of his hand. As White Knight lay on his back, Gunner stood over him.

"Now, White Knight, I will finally destroy you!"

Gunner raised his sword above his head.

"You forget one thing!" said White Knight. "Although you have the superior weapon, I am the superior swordsman!"

Just as Gunner brought his sword down, White Knight rolled out of the way. But before Gunner could go after him again, a blast knocked Gunner against the wall. The impact only shocked Gunner. He looked up to see a little old man standing in front of him, a little old man called Magus.

"You fool!" said Gunner. "You too will fail!"

But before he could get up, he found a large sword stuck in his face.

"Yield, Gunner!" said White Knight. "And no more harm shall befall you!"

"Never, scum!" sneered Gunner.

White Knight raised his sword.

"Then you shall pay the price!" shouted White Knight.

"No!" cried Magus. "Ours is not the right to hand out such punishment! The law of the land shall deal with him!"

White Knight lowered his sword. Magus waved his hand, and a bubble enveloped Gunner.

"This will hold him until we have seen to the others." said Magus.

Magus and White Knight walked to where Watt and Red Sun where being held. With another wave of his hand, the droids exploded, setting their captives free. Magus went over to them.

"They will be weak for a few days." he said. "But they will make full recoveries." "Thank god!" said White Knight. "But what about Gunner?"

"There is much evidence here." said Magus. "Your case against him should be more solid now."

"I agree." said White Knight.

"After we drop him off we'll return to the bunker." said Magus.

An hour later, Magus and White Knight sat in conference with Mr. X.

"I understand you are having accommodation problems at the moment." said White Knight.

"You're right there." said Mr. X. "If we had a cat, we would be able to swing it around. What are you suggesting?"

"I have a sizeable estate In Surrey." White Knight replied. I will let you have the run of the place on one condition."

"Which is?" asked Mr. X.

"That is you allow me to join Anglo-Force." replied White Knight. "After all, we could use each others help."

Mr. X extended his hand.

"Consider yourself hired." said Mr. X.

"May I also say.", said Magus. "That we offer membership to Red Sun. She has great power, and she is also very close to the Captain. Such friendship is useful for an organisation like this."

"If she is willing." said Mr. X. "Now I suggest we all get some rest. It's been a long day, and we've got some house moving to do!"

**CHAPTER SIX**

Anglo-Force's move to the estate of Arthur Pendragon went very smoothly. Also, good news came from Westminster. The Anglo-Force bill was about to get it's second reading.

When they moved into the estate, they modified Pendragon's gym for their own needs. A few days after they finished the modifications, Mr. X and Star Man were conducting training sessions for their protégés, Axe Kid and Lightning Kid. As they watched them testing their skills, Magus joined them.

"They are looking good gentlemen." said Magus. "You are training them well."

"I'm afraid there's not much more we can teach them." said Mr. X. "We've taught them all we know."

"Only experience will complete their training" said Star Man.

"That is what I would like to talk to you about." said Magus. "I've been closely observing Axe Kid and Lightning Kid during the past month or two. If possible I'd like to discuss my idea at the full meeting tomorrow."

"It's okay with me." said Mr. X.

The day of the meeting dawned. They assembled to hear what Magus had to say. He rose to his feet and grabbed his lapels.

"Gentlemen" he said. "Even as we speak a bill is passing through parliament to give us full legal status. The time has come for us to consider the future."

"What do you mean?" asked Star Man.

"What I mean is, none of you are immortal. There will come a time when, due to age or injury you will have to retire. We should begin to train replacements for you now."

"I notice you don't include yourself in that statement." said Chameleon.

"There is no need for me to do so." said Magus. "For I do not age. Nor will I die."

"Magus, you look older than any of us!" laughed Axe Kid.

As they watched, Magus changed into a younger version of himself, then back again.

"The age I look is immaterial." he said. "What I propose is to set up an academy for training young super-heroes. I have available my castle upon Craigmillar Island."

"I do not think the government will provide funding." remarked Red Sun.

Magus smiled. "My wealth is beyond measure, my dear. I have travelled extensively across the universe."

He raised his cane. "This cane is worth more than the national assets of this country alone. It's head is of mithril silver and cavourite. The only mine capable of producing mithril silver on this planet is on Craigmillar."

"I take it you propose to rung this academy, Magus." said Mr. X. "Who do you propose should attend it?"

"If they are willing, Axe Kid and Lightning Kid would be my first choices. I also have my eye on one or two other promising young heroes who are in need of guidance.

"What about a replacement for you Magus?" asked Watt.

Then, the door opened. A huge, brown furred figure entered.

"Gentlemen." said Magus. "Meet Woodwose, last of the ancient race of Wildman in Britain. I propose him as my replacement."

Sherwood Forest, deep in the heart of Nottinghamshire. This place was renowned for the adventures of Robin Hood and his merry men. On this day, however, it was the site of a visit from a group of students from Nottingham University, as part of their nature course. Once such young man, Charles Borne, would have a day that would forever change his life.

Charles Borne was eighteen years old, and in his first year at university. He walked through the forest, chatting with his friends, when he stopped to collect a specimen. His friends thought it insignificant, and continued on their journey. As he kneeled down and cleared away a few old leaves, he noticed something shining under some more leaves. He brushed them away and found two slightly muddy gold bracelets. The young man could not believe his luck, a chance to make a bit of money by selling some old costume jewellery. But then, he had a change of mind. He quickly wiped the bracelets, and put one on each wrist. Not giving it a second thought, he got up and continued walking. His thoughts drifted back to his childhood. He remembered that as a child he idolised the original Captain Marvel, the telekinetic master. A smile came to his face, and then, for some reason, he decided to re-enact the process that Captain Marvel used. He put down his back pack and held his hands high in the air. And then, with one movement, he brought the bracelets together with a mighty clang. There was a blinding flash of light. When the light cleared, Borne found that his street clothes were gone. They were replaced by a red and black costume, and a yellow star on his chest. He now wore a black mask. He now wore the original costume of his hero, Captain Marvel.

But before he knew what was happening to him, Borne turned round to see two men clad in black pointing rifles at him. He turned round again to see another man standing in front of him, this one clad in red with a blue flowing cape, with grey hair, carrying a shield.

"Why thank you, young man." he said. "I've been looking for those telekinetic bracelets for many years. Now, if you'd like to come with me."

"Never!" cried Borne.

It was then that Borne made his mistake. He did not know the extent of his new found powers, or how to use them. That came with experience. He was easily captured by the two men in black.

"Take him below. He has something that I want."

In Surrey, Mr. X and Magus sat in Pendragon's study, discussing Magus' plan.

"If Charles agrees." said Mr X. "I'm going to miss him. I made a promise to his grandfather to keep an eye on him."

"I understand your reservations, Simon." said Magus. "But it is for Christopher's own good…"

Before Magus could complete his sentence, he leapt to his feet, grabbed his head, and let out a huge cry of pain. He then slumped to the ground. Mr. X rushed over to him.

"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"It is something I have not felt in many years." Magus replied. "Not since the death of an ally of mine. A great surge of mystical energy, as if it were striking at my very soul!"

"Where from?" Mr. X asked.

"Sherwood Forest." said Magus. "Deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest!"

"Then we've got to go and check it out!" said Mr. X.

"You go." said Magus. "I am too weak. I must rest."

"Right." said Mr. X. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Just go!" said Magus. "I sense great danger! As if something has fallen into the wrong hands!"

Mr. X ran out of the study. On his way to the stables, he collected Axe Kid, the only other member of Anglo-Force currently available. At the stables stood Paul Solo's helicopter, currently on loan to Anglo-Force.

Instead of taking the usual amount of time a journey from Surrey to Nottinghamshire would take by helicopter, the journey time was halved, largely due to Chameleon's modifications. They landed in a clearing just outside the forest, and then, using the directions Magus had given them, they made their way into the forest. They soon found the back pack that belonged to Borne. Axe Kid crouched down, and began touching the ground.

"My senses tell me that there has been a struggle here." he said. "Three men attacking one. The one was unable to defend himself for a reason I do not yet know."

Mr. X held a small sensor to the air. "I'm getting a small reading. It's definitely some sort of energy. Only Magus could tell if it was mystical or not."

Mr. X continued to keep an eye on the sensor readings. As he turned round, he was eye-to-eye with a laser rifle being held by a man clothed entirely in black, except for his yellow mask.

"Come quietly, and you will live! Otherwise your life will be terminated!"

Mr. X raised his hands, but the man did not hear Axe Kid creeping up on him from behind. A savate kick to his should made the man drop the rifle. A blow from Mr. X left him lying in a puddle of mud, face first.

"Where do we go from here?" Axe Kid asked.

He did not have long to wait for an answer. Suddenly, they were surrounded by ten more baring various weapons.

"It's been quite a while since I've had a good workout!" said Mr. X

"I agree!" said Axe Kid.

And with that, the two leapt into action. To the normal layman, in a battle ten against two, the ten would normally win. But on this occasion, that was not the case. In just a matter of minutes, Mr. X and his youthful companion took care of their under matched foes. Just as their opponents lay unconscious on the ground, Mr. X and Axe Kid were attacked from behind. Axe Kid was attacked first. A shield had knocked him to the ground. Mr. X spun round, to see a man clad in red with a blue cape.

"I've always wanted to test myself against the best!" said the man. "So I could prove that I was the best!"

Mr. X leapt toward the stranger, rope in hand. Using the rope as a lasso, he wrapped it around the stranger's ankle, and pulled him off his feet, As Mr. X ran toward him, the man monkey-flipped him to the ground. The man then got to his feet. Axe Kid was now on his feet again, and hurled his axe at the caped man. He raised his shield just in time as the axe imbedded itself in the shield. He then leapt toward Axe Kid, and caught him with a karate thrust to the throat. Axe Kid grabbed his throat in pain. Mr. X then came up from behind. The stranger took a throwing star from his belt, and threw it at Mr. X's leg. The tips of the star were coated with a sleeping serum. Mr. X was dosing within a few seconds. As the stranger stood over his fallen foes, four men clad in black appeared.

"Take them below." he ordered. "Put them with the boy."

An hour passed. Slowly, Mr. X and Axe Kid regained their senses. When they finally awoke, they found themselves bound up. Special restraints had been placed on their hands and ankles. Spread-eagling them.

"Where are we?" asked a groggy Axe Kid.

"My guess is in some sort of stronghold." said Mr. X.

Mr. X then looked around. Various machines lined the walls. Then he looked to his immediate right, where another prisoner was being held.

"Impossible!" said Mr. X. "Captain Marvel? I thought you died years ago!"

The groggy figure gazed at Mr. X. He was too dazed to say anything.

Then, a huge door opened. About thirty guards marched in, each carrying various weapons. Then, after all the guards had lined up, a familiar figure entered the room. It was the grey haired man, clad in red and a blue, flowing cape.

"Who are you?" cried Mr. X. "Where are we?"

"Impatience is not a virtue, Mr. X. I will introduce myself. I am Professor Cornelius Moriarty."

"Moriarty!" gasped Mr. X. "I haven't heard of you in years!"

"Indeed." Moriarty replied. "There were rumours linking me with Giacomo Orsine and the Mafia, but I would never associate myself with such scum!"

"Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black!" said Axe Kid.

"I should expect such comments from a young fool!" said Moriarty. "You are no doubt going to ask why I have captured you."

"I did not know you were telepathic." said Mr. X.

"My plans are simple." said Moriarty. "I disagree with the way the civilized world is being run. I intend to install myself as president of the world."

"I hear Mother Nature and the Black Squadron have the same views as you." said Mr. X.

"But I am going about it in a different way." smiled Moriarty. "Rather than trying to get my own way all at once, as they do, I gradually build up my strength and use it gradually."

"The word for people like you is terrorist." sneered Axe Kid.

"I think realist fits better." replied Moriarty scornfully. "The governments of this planet, be they elected or not, have run it into the ground. As Supreme President of the world I would run things my way." He pointed at Borne. "My plan was proceeding quite well until that youth turned up." He gazed around the room. "After Captain Marvel was slain, his telekinetic bracelets vanished. I knew they had landed somewhere on this planet. Then this young fool found them, and became Captain Marvel."

"Captain Marvel Junior more like." said Mr. X. "He doesn't look more than sixteen."

"With these bracelets my abilities would have been complete."

Mr. X laughed. "The last time I heard of you your ability was pointing a gun at someone's head!"

"You fool!" boomed Moriarty. "I have spent the last few years perfecting my fighting abilities. I can even match the skills of you and your pathetic allies."

"You're just an old man!" said Axe Kid. "If I wasn't trussed up like a chicken, I could take you out easily!"

"Such youthful confidence!" said Moriarty. "Confidence which will soon be shattered. Attack Squad E, I am your target! Give no quarter. Ten thousand pounds to the man who takes my head!"

Fifteen men surrounded Moriarty. He drew his sword from it's sheath, a sword that resembled Excalibur. He then began to give a display of fighting technique that any Japanese sensei would be proud of. Within two minutes, fifteen of the most highly skilled soldiers had been dealt with, each one lay unconscious on the ground.

"Deal with these soldiers." said Moriarty. "And dock them a weeks pay for sleeping on the job!"

"An impressive display." said Mr. X. "But please excuse me if I don't applaud. But how…."

"Did I do it?" said Moriarty. "Ten years ago, Armand Theophilus injected me with some sort of serum. It was meant to increase intelligence, and he tested it on me, because he wanted to test it on himself. When my IQ did not quadruple, he was most 'disappointed'. After he dumped me, I found that I had developed photo-genetic reflexes, which means that I can copy any movement I see. After I completed my training, I set up my organisation, slowly making my plans and building my forces. Within the next year, I will be ready to strike!"

"But you said you needed the bracelets." said Mr. X. "If I remember correctly, the only way they can be removed from their owner is if he is killed, and the kid there is the owner."

"I know the legend." shouted Moriarty. "But until now, I have not thought of a way. But remember this, when I do, you two will also die!"

And with that, Moriarty stormed out of the room. As he did, Borne began to wake up.

"Hey kid!" whispered Mr. X. "If you do have Captain Marvel's powers, you're the only one who can get word out!"

Four hours had passed. At Pendragon's mansion, the tension had grown. Together, the rest of Anglo-Force, bar Magus, stood in the stable area.

"It's been far too long." said Star Man. "They should have checked in hours ago! And with Magus being out of action….!"

Then, Woodwose looked up to the sky.

"I can hear something!" he said. "An engine sound!"

"Which direction?" asked Watt.

"South-east." Woodwose replied.

Before anyone could do anything, Watt took off. Less than a minute later, they could see a helicopter in the distance. Chameleon took off. He soon reached the helicopter, but he was surprised to see it was being piloted by Watt, not Mr. X. He landed the helicopter near the stables.

"I found this note, lads!" Watt said. "Robin Hood and his merry men are about to be replaced.

A short time later, Moriarty walked into the prison room, holding a strange device in his hand.

"At last, I have it!" he said. "Very soon, the powers of Captain Marvel will be mine!"

Moriarty walked over to Borne. "With this injection, I will kill this young fool!" Moriarty laughed. "And my plan will be near completion!"

But just as Moriarty was about to inject the poison into Borne, the whole building began to shake. Then the wall began to crumble, and after two might bangs, it collapsed completely, due to the joint effort by Watt and Woodwose. Behind them stood Star Man, Lightning Kid, Chameleon, Red Sun and White Knight.

"Knock knock!" said Lightning Kid.

"I'm not going to use any boring cliché." said Star Man. "But you know why we are here!"

"Squadron D!" shouted Moriarty. "Joint Attack Force T. Attack Anglo-Force! Take no prisoners!"

The battle began. Forty highly-trained soldiers against seven super-powered beings. Chameleon immediately camouflaged himself, making it almost impossible for anyone to attack him. Woodwose tossed the soldiers about as if they were rag dolls. Red Sun, Star Man and Lightning Kid blasted them. White Knight was in his element, his skills as a swordsman having not been tested like this in a long time. Watt, meanwhile, smashed the restraining controls, releasing Mr. X, Axe Kid and the young Borne, so they could join the battle.

Several minutes passed before the battle swung Anglo-Force's way. Moriarty watched the battle from afar.

"Blast it!" he though. "My forces are losing the battle, and there is no way I could take all ten of them!"

Moriarty ducked into a small tunnel. He thought that nobody had noticed him, but Star Man was soon after him. But he could not catch him up. The tunnel lead to a small hangar. Moriarty quickly boarded his small jet aircraft. He flew out of the hangar, and Star Man continued to give chase, but the jet was far too fast for him. Watt soon arrived. Then there was a huge boom.

"It's no good!" said Watt. "He's travelling at least at mach four! There's no way we can catch him!"

They returned to what used to be a battle ground. Moriarty's forces had been defeated.

"Moriarty?" asked Mr. X.

"Gone." said Watt. "So what do we do now? Contact Solo and his boys?"

Then, Magus arrived.

"Inspector Solo and his forces are on their way." he said.

Mr. X walked over to Magus. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I am still a little weak." Magus replied. "But I cam here to check on young Mr. Borne. You must come back to the estate with us."

Two hours had passed. Borne, now back in his normal clothes but still wearing the bracelets, sat in front of Magus.

"I hope you understand the gravity of your situation." said Magus. "You now possess great power, and you now have many responsibilities. I can teach you how to use your powers for good, if you are willing."

Borne stood up, and extended his hand. Magus grasped it.

"Welcome, Marvel Boy." said Magus. "Welcome to the Warriors!"

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

A press conference had been called in the House of Parliament. Reporters from newspapers and television from all over the world awaited the official announcement from the British Prime Minister, Simon Harkes. A couple of minutes later Harkes, accompanied by the Home Secretary Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman, walked into the room, and the seated themselves in the two middle chairs of the table.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." said Harkes. "Before we start, I would like to introduce the gentlemen either side of me. Of course, you all know Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman, on my right. Seated next to him is Chief Inspector Paul Solo. To my left is Captain James Watt, representing Anglo-Force, and Arthur Pendragon, solicitor acting for Anglo-Force. Now, if I may begin. Last night the House of Commons voted by unanimous decision to give it's full backing to Anglo-Force. The means that the government will construct a full headquarters, and give full funding to the project. We think it is in the public's best interests that the government gives full backing to this project."

A reporter raised his hand. "How will the government fund this group of super-heroes? Will there be an increase in taxes?"

"There will be no increase in taxes." Harkes replied. "There has been a substantial investment from a private citizen. It is mainly because of that we do not have to raise taxes."

The press conference continued for another hour. Afterwards, there was a small gathering at Downing Street. At the gathering were Harkes, Campbell-Bannerman, Solo, Watt and Pendragon. They were later joined by Chief Inspector Jeavons, Simon Kennedy, aka Mr. X, Steven Solo, aka Star Man, Katrina Velichev, aka Red Sun, and Dr. Magus.

Kennedy raised his glass of champagne into the air.

"Gentlemen, and lady." he said. "I would like to propose a toast to Anglo-Force! May she have a long and fruitful existence!"

The noise of clinking glasses filled the room.

"Maybe the toast should have been for two groups." said Jeavons. "For the Warriors as well."

"I am just glad I did not have to push another bill like that through parliament!" laughed Harkes. "That took some doing!"

"Where are the kids, anyway?" asked Pendragon. "As well as Lew and Woody?"

"They are at the estate, packing." said Magus. "Lewis is helping them, and Woodwose is not here for obvious reasons."

At the estate, Chris Norris, aka Axe Kid, sat in the room that had been his for the past month or so. He had stopped his packing when he found his photo album. Quietly, he turned the pages, looking at the photos of his early childhood in North Carolina, with the Native American Lumbee tribe. A tear came to his eye, as he remembered his parents, who had been brutally murdered by the infamous villain Cowboy. As he turned the pages, he saw photos of himself and Simon Kennedy, Mr. X, his adopted father. There were photos of his training of himself in his Axe Kid costume. And then he wondered, was he doing the right thing by leaving Anglo-Force to join the Warriors, or was it just a natural progression?

The days passed idyllically on Craigmillar Island. Axe Kid and Lighting Kid, in their civilian identities, set about exploring the island. Charles Borne and Thomas Leacock spent their time in the vast library. Their days were divided between education and the use of their powers.

Norris and Solo were in the north of the island, when they noticed a small black dog trotting along ahead of them. They had seen this dog around the castle but had never paid much attention to it before. Then, to their surprise, the dog stopped, and turned to look at them.

"Are you following me?" said a voice.

Norris looked at Solo. Solo looked at Norris. Both looked at the dog.

"Yes, it was me. I haven't spoken to you before, I didn't know how you could cope with a talking dog."

It offered them it's paw in a very polite fashion. "I'm Teddy." he said. "I'm just off to fetch Magus. He's in the dragon cave."

The trio walked down onto the beach, and then into a cave.

"Move slowly." advised Teddy. "Granamyr doesn't like sudden movements."

They entered the cave, to meet Magus on his way out.

"There is a telephone call for you." said Teddy. "Inspector Dubois of the Belgian police."

"I take it he has found what I was seeking?" asked Magus.

The dog nodded.

"Return to the castle. Send Charles and Thomas to the cave, tell Thomas to bring the rug from the study and the lamp which is upon my desk." He paused. "And be in costume."

A few minutes later all were reassembled upon the beach. Magician, alias Thomas, spread the rug out. Then he seated himself upon it, Axe Kid doing likewise. Then Magus appeared from the cave, astride Granamyr, the biggest dragon the boys had ever seen.

"Gentlemen, we are going to Belgium. I have to see my old friend, Inspector Dubois."

Their arrival in the Belgian capital cause some excitement amongst the Bruxelloius. Firstly, Granamyr landed, his scales glittering in the sun, then two flying teenagers and two more on a rug landed. As Magus climbed down from Granamyr a fat man in a raincoat hurried over, keeping a wary eye on the dragon.

"Phineas, mon ami, c'est res belle a vu tu encore." he said.

"Vous sussi, Jacques." replied the wizard. "Where is this student you have for me?"

A slim youth stepped forward.

"I am Jean-Claude Duvall. I am a mutant changeling."

"Show me." said Magus.

As they watched, Duvall became a tiger, a cow, and then Magus.

"I think I can help you. You may join us if you so wish."

Then, as they spoke, a bolt of cosmic energy struck the ground. All scattered. Axe Kid hurled his boomerang axe, only to see it melt. A blast from Lighting Kid was easily repelled by the attacked. He easily evaded Magician and Duvall. Then, the attacker found himself frozen in mid-air. Magus levitated up to him.

"If you wish to join my academy, Cosmic Kid, you only have to ask."

He unfroze the youngster, and then joined Duvall.

"You shall be called the Changer." he smiled. "Now we must return to Scotland."

A tie had been chosen for the new headquarters, not too far from Pendragon's estate. Mr. X and Watt flew over the site watching the foundations being laid. They landed near Jock Muir, head of Muir Industries, who was also inspecting the work done so far.

"Ach, laddies." he grinned. "It fair takes me back, building a new base for ye."

"What do you mean?" asked Mr. X.

"Why, back in the fifties I was involved with the original Anglo-Force."

"Chameleon is the one you should speak to. He's been studying all the old records, to find out something about Magus to start with."

Muir smiled again. "Tell the lad he'll no find a thing out about Magus unless the wee feller himself wants him tae."

"We can't find out why they disbanded though." said Watt. "Although I read somewhere that their leader, the Highlander, murdered someone."

"Aye, that's true." replied Muir sadly. "He was a fine man!"

"He was a murderer." snorted Mr. X.

Muir rounded on him angrily. "Ye know nothing." he snarled. "Perhaps ye'd think before speaking if ye asked Magus what he knows."

With that, he marched off.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Mr. X.

"Beats me!" said Watt. "We'd better be shooting off now. Katrina's cooking dinner tonight. Some Russian dish!"

"Romantic dinner for two, eh?" said Mr. X. "I just wish I had something in my life like that at the moment!"

The afternoon passed quickly for Watt. After dropping Mr. X off at Pendragon's mansion, he quickly flew back to his Kensington flat. By the time he got back it was the early evening. He entered his flat via the sky light. He walked into the living room to find it dimly lighted.

"Kate!" he called.

He heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. Then, his jaw dropped as Katrina stood there in the doorway, wearing a low-cut, figure-hugging dress.

"Hello darling!" she said. "Busy day at the office?"

Watt walked over to her, and they embraced passionately. Katrina handed Watt a bottle of wine.

"Open this please, James." she said. "Our meal is almost ready."

Katrina walked back into the kitchen, as Watt searched for a corkscrew. He quickly found one in his cocktail cabinet, and quickly opened the bottle and poured out two glasses. As he poured out the wine, Katrina walked into the room carrying a large dish. As she approached the dinner table, she suddenly stopped. A horrified look appeared on her face, as she dropped the dish she was carrying. She stared out of the window.

"Nyet!" she whispered. "Not now!"

Watt stood up. "Kate?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, a huge blast ripped into the wall of the flat. Bricks and mortar went flying everywhere. It was as if a huge fireball had hit the side of the building. When the smoke cleared, two men stood where the wall used to be, one clad in black, one in white, both with huge wings on their backs.

"Katrina Velichev." cried the one in black. "Where are you, you traitor?"

"No!" cried Katrina.

Watt, blown back by the explosion, went toward the two strangers.

"White Bat!" he said again. "Deal with the fair-haired man!"

The man, White Bat, charged toward Watt. The Russian was surprised when Watt did not budge.

"Nobody was withstood one of my attacks before!" he said.

The other man, Death Angel, leapt toward Watt.

"Deal with Red Sun!" he cried. "This one is mine!"

White Bat moved toward Red Sun. Death Angel leapt toward Watt, and when he was close, he managed to wrap his huge, feathery wings around him.

"The strongest wings in the world." said Death Angel. "You will suffocate in two minutes!"

Death Angel was wrong. His wings were almost ripped off as Watt escaped from his clutches.

"Forget him!" cried White Bat. "Red Sun is our target!"

Death Angel turned away from Watt, and threw a small object at Red Sun. The object hit her legs, and smoke then filled what was left of the room. It was some form of sleeping gas, and Red Sun was soon out of it.

White Bat then activated a small transmitter.

"Captain Shield!" he said. "We have Red Sun. You can bring the aircraft."

They were surprised when Watt grabbed at Death Angel. They thought the gas had also knocked him out. Realising they could not match strength with Watt, they hurled a larger, more powerful gas bomb at him. This made Watt groggy for a minute or so. A few seconds later, a sleek, black aircraft appeared outside the building. A doorway opened on the aircraft, and a man clad in blue and black leaned out.

"Leave the other!" he cried. "It is Red Sun we want!"

Death Angel picked up Red Sun, and he and White Bat then flew out onto the aircraft. A second later, they were gone.

As they left, Watt, still groggy, began to get to his feet. He had just seen the aircraft leave, and took off, after it. He quickly caught up with it, and grabbed the tail fin. With all of his remaining strength, he managed to hold the aircraft in mid-air. The engines of the aircraft were powerful, and Watt's strength was receding fast, due to the effects of the gas bomb. Just as the tail began to crack under the mighty strain, the last ounce of strength went from Watt's body. Watt loosened his grip, and the aircraft went shooting off. As it left, Watt fell to the ground. A two hundred feet fall would have killed a normal man, but Watt was not a normal man. Watt smashed into the ground, causing a three-foot deep crater. As he lay unconscious, a double-decker bus ploughed into the crater. The passers-by were shocked. Luckily, no one on the bus was badly hurt. Watt regained a small portion of his strength and pushed the bus back out of the crater. He then stumbled to his feet, shaking his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs. Groggily, he looked up to the sky. He then took off. It was quite evident that he as still the worse for wear, judging by his erratic flying pattern.

Twenty minutes later, Watt arrived at his destination, Pendragon's mansion. Watt landed, and staggered into the building. As he walked through the hallways, his senses began to go. As he neared the library, Steven Solo walked out.

"Jim!" said Solo.

"Katrina!" Watt gasped. "The Nightmares!"

"Simon! Lew!" Solo shouted.

An hour or so later, Watt came to. He had been taken to one of the many bedrooms in Pendragon's mansion. As soon as he woke, he tried to get out of bed, but Solo stopped him.

"Easy, Jim." he said. "You're in pretty bad shape, you took quite a beating!"

"But Kate!" Watt said. "They've got Kate!"

"We know." said Solo. "Arthur and Lewis are in Kensington now. Paul's down there as well. We know just who we are looking for."

"The Nightmares?" said Watt. "You know of the Nightmares?"

"It was the last thing you said before you passed out." said Solo. "All we know is that the huge aircraft you were seen fighting was last seen in Canada. We've contacted UNIT and they've sent all they have on Captain Shield and his gang, and also some interesting stuff on Katrina."

Watt leapt up. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The info was somewhat patchy." Solo replied. She's had dealings with them in the past."

"Dealings? What dealings?" asked Watt.

"Let's just say for the moment that she wasn't on their most hated enemies list." Solo replied. "Until recently, that is."

Watt quickly leapt out of bed and put on his costume.

"Come on." said Watt.

"Wait, Jim!" Solo shouted. "You're in no condition to go anywhere!"

"I'll be the judge of that!" said Watt. "If you want to hold my hand get your glad-rags on!"

Watt then flew out of the window. Quickly, Solo put on his Star Man costume. Within twenty minutes, they were in Kensington. There were many police officers present, and the area had been sealed off. Watt and Star Man landed just as White Knight and Chameleon were about to leave.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Jim?" Chameleon shouted. "You're in no condition to….."

"Where Kate's concerned, I'm in a condition to do anything." said Watt. "What's the story?"

"You know as much as we do." said White Knight. "The Nightmares would like the Cold War to start all over again."

Then, a man wearing a rain coat and hat walked over to them.

"Good evening gentlemen. I am Oleg Steatovsky. I am here representing the Russian Embassy."

"This doesn't concern you." said Watt.

"On the contrary." said Steatovsky. "Katrina Velichev is currently employed by the Russian government, and she is a Russian citizen."

"She's also a member of Anglo-Force." said Star Man. "We don't need help from you to find her."

"I am not offering help, Star Man." Steatovsky said. "I am ordering you to leave this matter alone. If I have to, I will go to your superiors. This is a matter for the Russian government. It is of no concern to you."

A look of anger appeared on Watt's face. He clenched his fist, and lunged toward Steatovsky. Star Man and Chameleon held him back.

"Easy Jim." said Star Man. "We don't want an international crisis on our hands."

"It would be prudent for you to listen to your friends, Captain." said Steatovsky. "Now, I will leave you, gentlemen."

Steatovsky walked away into the night.

"So what do we do now?" asked Chameleon.

"I've got a few friends up in the Foreign Office." said White Knight. "They're probably all asleep, but it wouldn't hurt them to be woken up. At least I can find out what's going on."

"As far as I can see, that's the only thing we can do!" said Star Man.

"Well, I'm not sitting around while red tape is cut." said Watt.

Watt then took off, and flew away at high speed. Chameleon went to go after him.

"There's no point, Lewis." said White Knight. "There's no way any of us could catch him up! I just hope he doesn't get himself into any trouble he can't get out of!"

The night became morning. There had been no sign of Red Sun, the Nightmares or Watt. White Knight had been up all night, trying to find out what had been going on. Together with the information he had gathered from UNIT, he had quite a bit to go on. When he was finished, he returned to the mansion. Mr. X greeted him. He called a meeting. They were joined by Chameleon, Star Man and Woodwose.

"The Russian government is denying all connections with the Nightmares." said White Knight. "Apparently, they've been trying to silence them ever since the break-up of the Soviet Union. All the other states bar one have been co-operating with them. That one is Sylvania."

"Sylvania?" said Star Man. "I've never heard of the place."

"That's not surprising." said White Knight. "Nothing has been heard from Sylvania since the late nineteenth century. All that is known that it is a small country with a small population, and that it is self-sufficient. There was a small conflict with Latvia near the end of the last century, but since then, no one has ever left Sylvania, and no one has ever entered until a few months ago."

"The Nightmares?" queried Woodwose.

"Exactly." said White Knight. "Ever since their little escapade in Canada, they've been hunted all over the world! Only one country has offered them safe haven; Sylvania!"

"Sure the UN could have done something." said Star Man.

"Sylvania is not even a member of the UN." said White Knight. "Like I said, they've been isolated for over a hundred years. No one know what's been going on."

"Where does Red Sun come into this?" asked Mr. X.

"That's the bad news." said White Knight. "Up until a year ago, she was a member of the Nightmares. She's wanted for countless crimes in Russia, dating back ten years."

"When did Jim say he first met her?" asked Mr. X.

"Eleven years ago." replied White Knight. "It appears, gentlemen, that we have been harbouring a criminal!"

"So who's going to tell Jim?" asked Woodwose. "I suppose you know he was going to ask her to marry him?"

Watt had been searching for Red Sun all night. He was very tired, but he knew he could not give up the search. Using his incredible speed, he had flown all over the country, but he could find no trace of the large black aircraft. As he flew over Dover, he knew that he had to rest. So he landed on the famed white cliffs. He had landed near the edge, and looked out to sea. He wondered what had happened to the woman he loved. Then, as he stood there in silence, he noticed a craft on the sea. It was too far out for him to get a good look at, so he took to the air again, and soon he saw what he thought he had seen from the cliff. It was the same black aircraft that had appeared in Kensington, the aircraft of the Nightmares.

Without another thought, he went shooting toward the craft. But he did not think that he would be monitored, which he was. As he neared the aircraft, the hatchway opened, and in the hatchway stood the huge Smasher, his strength having been enhanced by a nuclear explosion a few years previously. In his right hand he held a laser pistol. He aimed it at Watt and fired. Watt was not manoeuvring in any way, so the blast hit him head on. Smasher was shocked to see Watt fly straight through the laser blast. It had no effect on him, even in his he weakened state. Watt flew straight into Smasher, and the two plunged into the sea. Two minutes later, Smasher came flying out of the sea, courtesy of the Captain. It looked like that for once, Smasher had someone who could match power with him. But before Watt could fly after him, he found himself struck down by a mighty shield. The shield dealt him a mighty blow, and another blast from Death Angel rendered him unconscious.

"Bring him onto the aircraft." Shield ordered. "We have Red Sun, we might as well have her lover captive as well."

Two hours passed. Nothing had been heard at Pendragon's mansion, until now. Chameleon took the news to Mr. X.

"The pilot of a Harrier jet reported seeing a disturbance off the Dover coast." he said.

"What sort of disturbance?" asked Mr. X.

"Three men attacking on other in the sea." Chameleon replied. "And a certain black aircraft was nearby. Looks like Jim found our boys!"

"Call the others." said Mr. X. "You, Star Man and White Knight go on ahead. Woodwose and I will follow later."

The Nightmare's aircraft left the sea and took to the sky once again. Once it had taken to the sky it headed due east. As soon as the aircraft re-entered British air space, it was picked up by radar. Four jet fighters were scrambled, but as soon as they got near the huge black craft, it started to shimmer, and then it just vanished. The pilots were most puzzled. Inside the aircraft, there were some celebrations.

"Congratulations, Captain Shield." said White Bat. "The cloaking device worked!"

"It is none of my doing, boy." said Shield. "It is Sylvanian technology which won here. Technology far superior to that of Mother Russia!"

Whilst they were celebrating their small triumph, they did not notice that Watt was beginning to regain his senses. Not knowing the full capabilities of his powers, Smasher had just chained up Watt's wrists and ankles. Slowly, without drawing attention to himself, Watt slowly broke the chains on his wrists. When he was sure he was not being watched, he snapped the chains around his ankles. He looked around, and he could see Red Sun chained up. Slowly, he walked over to her to see how she was. She was unaware of his presence, as she had been heavily sedated. Then, he heard a noise. Quickly, he turned round to see Death Angel.

"It seems our comrade is awake, Captain Shield." he said.

But before Death Angel could say or do anything, Watt charged him. The force of the blow was so hard that it sent both Watt and Death Angel crashing out of the side of the aircraft. The aircraft had been flying over the Netherlands, and the two plummeted toward the earth. The air pressure of the aircraft dropped dramatically, due to the large, gaping hole. As the aircraft fell to the earth, Captain Shield used his huge shield to cover the hole.

"Quickly!" he shouted. "We must land! I can't hold my shield in place forever!"

Watt and Death Angel continued to plummet. They were falling too quickly for either of them to use their powers. Watt knew that a fall from twenty thousand feet would not kill him, but it would kill Death Angel. Then, when they were about fifty feet from the ground, both of them found themselves in two, giant, hairy arms, the arms of Woodwose.

"Easy, James." he said. "The landing won't be the same as the aircraft, but it'll be safer!"

But before Woodwose could land, Death Angel regained his senses, pulled out his laser pistol, and hit Woodwose with a laser blast. Woodwose howled out in pain, and dropped Watt and Death Angel. As both had now regained their senses, both took to the air. It was Woodwose who now plummeted toward the earth. Watt raced after him, and grabbed him by his huge arm, and safely guided him to the ground. Death Angel did not follow them, instead following his aircraft, which had landed in a field about half a mile away.

After Watt had put Woodwose on the ground, he himself landed. As he did, his legs began to feel shaky. Just before Watt slumped to the ground, Woodwose grabbed him.

"Easy, fella." he said. "You're in no condition to do anything!"

"Got to save Kate!" Watt gasped.

Then, the rest of Anglo-Force arrived. Star Man and Chameleon under their own steam, White Knight and Mr. X riding Galador. White Knight dropped Mr. X off, whilst he and the others flew off to the aircraft.

"How is he?" Mr. X asked.

"Not good." Woodwose replied. "He's taken one hell of a beating!"

"You stay here with him." said Mr. X. "I'm going to join the others!"

Star Man and Chameleon soon approached the stricken aircraft. When they neared the aircraft, they saw Captain Shield removing his weapon from the gaping hole.

"Quickly!" he ordered. "We must find Death Angel! We must stay together!"

"Look, Captain!" said White Bat, pointing to the sky.

"You know what to do!" said Shield.

White Bat took out his laser pistol, and aimed at Chameleon. But before he knew it, Chameleon used his powers to camouflage himself. The laser blast just flew into empty sky. Star Man followed that up with a nova blast that hit the tail section of the aircraft. Mr. X was soon into the battle. Shield tried to lunge at him, but Mr. X was too quick for the Russian. Then Smasher entered the fray. As he went to protect his leader, Chameleon attacked him from behind. His blows had no effect on the huge Russian. Smasher turned round and tossed Chameleon away as if he was a piece of rubbish. He knew that if he wanted to withstand another attack, he had to camouflage himself again, which he did. He only just avoided another mighty blow from Smasher.

Whilst the battle took place, White Knight approached the aircraft from it's blind side. Taking Excalibur in his hand, he sliced a hole in the side of the aircraft. Quickly, he entered, and soon found what he was looking for, Red Sun. He picked her up, and exited the aircraft. As he ran back toward Galador, he suddenly found Red Sun drifting away from his arms. He wondered how this could happen because Red Sun was still unconscious. Then in front of him he saw Death Angel, pointing a small object at Red Sun's body.

"I will take the traitor from you!" said Death Angel.

The limp body of Red Sun floated into Death Angel's arm. He then took to the air, and flew over the battle site.

"Captain Shield!" he cried. "I have her!"

But before Shield could say anything, a giant gust of wind blew past Death Angel. Suddenly, he found that Red Sun had vanished from his arms. Only one man could have done that, the Captain!

Watt travelled for about two miles before he set Red Sun onto the ground. Then, he returned to the battle site.

The fight raged on. Shield seemed to have the measure of Mr. X. White Bat and Star Man continued firing blasts at each other. Chameleon was being pummelled by Smasher, and Death Angel's aerial abilities were no match for White Knight and Galador.

Just as Smasher was about to end Chameleon's existence, a huge arm grabbed him from behind, and swung him around. He was surprised to see Woodwose towering over him. Not many people towered over Smasher like Woodwose did. He aimed a blow at Woodwose, which knocked him to the ground. White Knight Cried out in pain as a laser blast from Death Angel hit him in the shoulder. Shield had now defeated Mr. X.

Woodwose picked up Smasher, and threw him to the ground. The burly Russian quickly got to his feet, and charged Woodwose, knocking the wind out of him.

Watt attacked Shield as he stood over Mr. X. Watt took the Russian totally by surprise, and picked him up by the throat.

"You Russian bastard!" he said. "I ought to snap your neck for what you did to Kate!"

Watt drove Shield into the ground, and followed that up with a blow to his mid-section. The blow had no effect on him, as he moved his shield into the way to protect himself.

"You fool!" said Shield. "She fooled you the same way she fooled us!"

Shield sprang to his feet, and battered Watt with his shield. Watt fought frantically, trying to defend himself. Had he been fully fit, he would have been able to defeat Shield, but not on this day. Once again, Watt was losing his senses.

The battle between Woodwose and Smasher continued. Realising he could not over power Woodwose in any way, he pointed his laser pistol at him, and fired Woodwose into the middle of next week.

Watt was close to death. Shield began to taunt him.

"Has not the love of your life told you her secret?" said Shield. "She was once like us, she was a member of the Nightmares! But she disapproved of my proposed Canadian operation! So she went to the Russian authorities, but she forgot she was on the KGB's top priority list, so she fled Russia. When she found out that you were a neo-mutant, and that you joined a group of super-powered beings, she knew she have protection from both us and the KGB! But she did not count on Sylvanian technology!"

"Why you…..!" gasped Watt. "You liar!"

"She is the liar, Englishman." said Shield. "And now, you will die!"

Shield raised his weapon above Watt's head/ Then, something happened.

"Captain!" cried White Bat. "In the sky, more of them!"

White Bat was right. Reinforcements had arrived, in the shape of Magician, who was carrying Axe Kid, Lighting Kid, Cosmic Kid, and Marvel Boy, the Warriors.

The Nightmares were taken completely off-guard. Marvel Boy fired a telekinetic blast at Death Angel, sending him flying through the air. A blast from Cosmic Kid onto Captain Shield knocked him away from Watt. Axe Kid's axe went flying into Smasher's left arm. Changer then transformed into a huge ape, and knocked the burly Russian off his feet. Lightning Kid threw one of his bolts at White Bat, and Magician followed up with a mystic bolt.

The battle raged on for many minutes, and the Nightmares seemed near defeat. Then, just as the Warriors were about to deliver their final blow, something strange occurred. A portal appeared in the sky. Captain Shield, Death Angel, White Bat and Smasher looked skywards toward the portal. Then, a huge voice boomed out.

"You have failed, Captain Shield! Return to Sylvania now!"

"No!" cried Shield. "We can defeat them!"

"You are heavily outnumbered. I have kept my side of our agreement, now you must keep yours!"

The portal quickly got nearer the ground, and then enveloped the Nightmares. Before anyone could do anything, the portal disappeared.

"We've passed out first test." said Magician. "Now I will revive our fallen comrades!"

Magician raised his hands, and began chanting. Within a few seconds, Anglo-Force were fully revived. Magician walked over to Mr. X.

"Are you okay, sir?" he asked.

"Fine, kid." Mr. X replied. "How did you find us?"

"Dr. Magus has been monitoring your progress, sir." Magician replied.

"Where is he?" asked Mr. X.

"He's back at Craigmillar." said Magician. "He said we could handle this one on our own."

Axe Kid attended to Watt.

"Are you okay Jim?" he asked.

Watt shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the cobwebs.

"Kate?" he said. "Kate!"

Watt leapt to his feet and flew into the sky. He returned to the site where he had left Red Sun. He was soon there. The sedative was just starting to wear off, so Watt picked her up, and flew back to the battle site. He placed her gently on the ground.

"Kate? Are you okay?" he asked.

"I guess you know everything now." she said.

"Shield is a liar!" said Watt. "He must be!"

Then, the noise of helicopter rotor blades filled the air. It was the police helicopter that belonged to Inspector Solo. But he had brought with him an unwanted visitor, Oleg Steatovsky. Two other helicopters followed them. They landed in the next field. Solo and Steatovsky rushed over. Star Man held them back.

"Wait, Paul!" he said. "At least let them have a few minutes alone!"

"There is no time!" said Steatovsky, pushing past Star Man.

"Katrina Velichev!" he said. "I arrest you for crimes against the Russian state."

"No!" cried Watt. "It's a lie! It can't be true!"

"It is true, James!" said Red Sun. "Captain Shield did not lie to you!"

Steatovsky grabbed her by the arm.

"Come." he said. "We must go now."

Steatovsky pulled Red Sun away, and walked toward the helicopter. He stopped when he came to Mr. X.

"I will be making an official complaint to your government." he said. "You will hear from me shortly."

They continued toward the helicopter. Red Sun gazed back toward Watt. She was now in tears.

"I love you." she whispered.

Watt whispered the same. Soon, they were apart, and both wondered, would they ever see each other again?

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

New York City, 1933. The giant ape-like creature known as Kong had been terrorising the city for five hours. Kong had been brought to America from his home on Skull Island, as some sort of circus sideshow, and to make a lot of money for his captors. It was during his first public viewing that he had escaped and rampaged through the streets of New York. Now, with the beautiful Ann Darrow as his captive, he scaled the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the world. Then, as he neared the summit of the mighty building, four aeroplanes came into view. He gently laid his captive down. The aeroplanes circled the mighty beast, and attacked him with their machine guns. Twice he was hit in the throat with gun fire. As the small bi-planes began to swoop for another attack, something strange happened. It was as if a hole in the sky appeared. Slowly, the hole moved closer to the mighty Kong. The mighty beast was confused. He began to get covered by the huge hole. Slowly, he began to disappear, as if he was being transported to another place. Then the strange portal-like hole enveloped him completely. But as it began to close, one of the small planes flew into it. Then the hole closed up. Both the might Kong, and the small aeroplane were gone.

Great Britain, over sixty years later. There was a huge public outcry. The tabloid press were having a field day over the Red Sun incident. "Britain's protectors protect an international criminal" was one of the headlines. Some of the other papers were not as charitable.

Concern was also growing in the political ranks. Some MP's were now beginning to question the need for a group of super-powered protectors. A special meeting was called at Number Ten. Prime Minister Harkes summoned Mr. X, as leader of Anglo-Force, Dr. Magus, as leader of the Warriors, Arthur Pendragon, as solicitor for both groups, Inspector Solo, and Jock Muir, head of Muir Industries, who were currently constructing Anglo-Force's headquarters. Also present were Captain James Watt, Thomas Leacock, and the Home Secretary, Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman.

Harkes rose to speak but as he opened his mouth no words came out. Then, Magus arose.

"I apologise for robbing you of your voice, Prime Minister, but circumstances have arisen which make the original intent of this meeting pointless. This country is heading for…"

Campbell-Bannerman rose to speak. A glare from Magus sat him down again. Magus continued.

"As I was saying, we are heading for a grave crisis. There has been a shift in the balance of forces. I detected it myself whilst Anglo-Force battled the Nightmares. I have been contacted by others of my order for advice. My scans show the imbalance is coming from the country of Sylvania."

Harkes found his voice had returned. "What are you saying Magus?" he asked, his eyes grim.

Magus looked around the room. All were silent.

"The last time there was a shift in the forces of the universe like this led to the Wars of the Ring. I can not say what will happen yet, Prime Minister, but I do want one thing from you. I want Stonehenge sealed off, with a three mile perimeter. There is to be a council of wizards there and no ordinary mortal may attend."

Harkes could not believe his ears. "You want me to clear a national monument…"

Mr. X laid a hand on Harke's arm. "I would do as he asks. Magus does not ask for such things lightly."

The evacuation of the area around Stonehenge began three days later. The operation was headed by Inspector Solo and Chief Inspector Jeavons. Many roadblocks were set up and once everything was complete, the police forces left as well. The roadblocks were manned by the members of Anglo-Force and the Warriors.

No one knew when, where or how the wizards arrived. Magus was already there but as Mr. X watched he could see the others…Ringulrun, Merlin, Gandalf and Radagast. Magus stood.

"The Council of the Five is now in session."

"Here we can make our deliberations without being bothered by mortals." smiled Radagast.

"What do we know of this force?" asked Merlin.

"All we know is that it is using the Portal of Xusia. One rescued the Nightmares." said Magus grimly.

"Then it is indeed serious." said Ringulrun. "For such portals can be used to overlap time."

Magus nodded. "We could see time turned inside out."

The Council ended. Magus returned to his colleagues.

"What have you decided?" asked the Captain.

"We must seek out new allies." replied Magus.

While the meeting of the Istari had been taking place, Jock Muir had been driving home. As he was driving home, his mind turned back to some of the events which had taken place over the past few days, most notably the discussion with Mr. X and the Captain, about the original Anglo-Force.

Soon, he arrived at his London home. It was one of his many homes that were dotted around the country. He had been staying in London because of the work on Anglo-Force's headquarters.

He opened the door and walked into the living room. He walked over to his cocktail cabinet, and poured himself a glass of scotch. He sat down, and was deep in thought for a few minutes. Then, he walked over to the book shelf and took out an old scrap book. The book was full of old newspaper clippings. Newspaper clippings documenting the rise and fall of the original Anglo-Force. The headlines ranged from "super-hero army saves the day" to "hail Anglo-Force". There were photos of each of the members. There were photos of Dr. Magus, looking much younger, Stingray, the Beast Master, Prince Poseidon, and their leader, a canny Scotsman known as the Highlander.

Muir then came to the pages covered in old black and white photographs. Photos of Anglo-Force gathered together. The five men toasting each other's health at the formation, their first headquarters in the north of England. Muir smiled as he flipped through the pages. Then, he neared the end of the book, and he began to feel sad. Newspaper clippings documenting the demise of Anglo-Force after their leader, the Highlander, was seen de-capitating an opponent with his sword. As the team disbanded, the Highlander went missing. Nothing had been heard of him since.

Muir finished his drink and then walked into his bedroom. He opened his wardrobe, and stood there, looking into it for a minute or two. Then, he reached in and took a hanger our. On the hanger out. On the hanger was a yellow costume. He turned it round, and of the front of the costume was the letter "S". Muir held up the mask. He wondered whether the costume would still fit him, and whether he could still do what he did over thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, Jock Muir was one of the members of the original Anglo-Force. Thirty years ago, Jock Muir was known as Stingray.

Vasaria, the late nineteenth century. A large lynch mob had gathered outside the village. The whole village had been terrorised by the monster which had been created by Victor Frankenstein. One small child had already been killed. Now the mob had chased the monster into an old, abandoned church, which was situated on the top of a hill. The monster entered the church, seeking refuge from the crowd. Then, the mob got near the old building. Crying for the monster's demise, they threw their torches into the building. The dryness of the wood inside made it perfect for a fire. It immediately caught alight. It was not long before the whole building was on fire. The monster lunged about in fear, his fear of fire overcoming him. Then, when he thought his life would end in a fiery way, a small portal opened. The monster was even more confused. He seemed even more frightened when the portal got close to him. Then, before he could do anything, the portal engulfed him and the Frankenstein monster vanished from the nineteenth century. As far as the mob outside knew, the Frankenstein monster was no more.

Plans were being made at Pendragon's mansion. The special United Nations's force, UNIT, as well as SHIELD, and other organisations, had been contacted. It was decided that the UN would take care of the American side of things. Magus sat in deliberation with Mr. X.

"Although we are gathering a powerful force" said Magus, "it is still not strong enough."

"I know of two more possible candidates." said Mr. X. "One would be easy to contact. We can get in touch with Prince T'Chuka through the Voltanian Embassy. But Clarkie, he's a different matter altogether."

"Clarkie?" queried Magus. "Oh, you mean the Jet. He would indeed be a welcome ally, but he is very unpredictable."

"Then I'll get in contact with the Voltanian Embassy." said Mr. X. "And I'll get our inspector friends to put out a call for Jet."

"There is one more thing, Simon." said Magus. "May I suggest that, as you are leader of Anglo-Force, that you select a second in command. On an operation such as this, where we are going against an unknown force, a second in command is most necessary."

"Who do you suggest?" asked Mr. X.

"May I suggest James?" Magus replied. "He has had command responsibilities in the RAF, during both the Gulf and Eugenics Wars. Should anything happen to you, he would be able to take over."

"Are you sure he's up to it?" asked Mr. X. "The strain did show during the battle with the Nightmares."

"I have the utmost confidence in him." said Magus. "And if he is to be your second, you must to."

"You're right, as always." said Mr. X. "Jim is the right choice."

The Voltanian Embassy was soon contacted, and a message was sent. Within a day, Watt was winging his way to Voltania. Little did he know that someone else was en route to Voltania, from Eastern Europe.

A journey that would have taken a normal passenger aircraft a couple of hours took Watt roughly thirty minutes. When he was in Voltanian airspace he soon found the White Palace, the ancestral palace of Prince T'Chuka, which was situated in the Voltanian capital, N'dabu.

Watt was greeted by two fearsome looking guards outside the White Palace. Both the guards were dressed in traditional Voltanian war dress. Soon, they were in the throne room. T'Chuka sat on his marvellous looking throne. He looked very stern as Watt as the guards entered. The silence was deafening as T'Chuka got up from his seat and walked over to Watt. He had the same stern look on his face. T'Chuka stared at Watt, who wondered what was going on. Then, T'Chuka broke out into a huge smile.

"James!" he said. "It is good to see you again!"

The two old friends embraced.

"It has been a long time since the battle with Supremus and the Black Squadron." said T'Chuka.

"Come." he said. "Let us go into the Royal Gardens. We will talk there."

A few minutes later, Watt and T'Chuka stood in the beautiful Royal Gardens. These gardens were off limits to almost all but a select few. Only the gardeners and the Royal family were allowed.

"It's amazing." said Watt. "I'm not much of a gardener, but even I know that some of these plants can't grow in this climate!"

"The atmosphere in this garden can be controlled by computer." explained T'Chuka. "A special dome can be used to create the right atmosphere. But enough of that. We have other matters to discuss."

Then, just as they sat down on one of the garden benches, a door opened. A man dressed as a Voltanian guard walked in. T'Chuka stood up.

"What is this?" he boomed. "No one is allowed in these gardens without my permission!"

"I do not need your permission." said the man.

The stranger quickly got rid of his Voltanian uniform, revealing a black, furry face. His ears were pointed. He resembled T'Chuka, when he was in his Tiger form.

"N'Chaka!" said T'Chuka. "The Panther! I exiled you years ago!"

"Exiles mean nothing to me, cousin!" sneered Panther. "Especially to my new employer!"

Using his amazing agility, Panther leapt towards Watt. The Voltanian obviously knew nothing about the Captain's powers, because he seemed surprised to see Watt moving so quickly. Then, T'Chuka entered the fray. While Panther had attacked Watt, T'Chuka became the Tiger. Panther somersaulted to another part of the gardens, gazed at T'Chuka, and pounced on him. Just before Panther touched him, T'Chuka unleashed his claws, and laid into Panther's chest. Panther slumped to the ground, touched his chest, and looked at the blood on his hand.

"You have made a mistake, cousin!" Panther sneered.

Panther leapt to his feet, but still clutched his chest. Before he could make another attack on T'Chuka, he found Watt standing in front of him. Panther aimed a blow at Watt's head, which he quickly blocked. No matter what sort of blow Panther aimed at Watt, Watt blocked it. Whilst this went on, T'Chuka had moved to a position behind Panther.

"Surrender!" he ordered. "There is no way you can win!"

"Never!" cried Panther. "A member of the Brotherhood never surrenders!"

Then, just as Panther was about to be subdued, the portal appeared yet again. Before they could do anything, Panther was gone.

"Now you know how grave the situation is." said Watt. "It seems that our allies are in danger!"

Nineteenth century Transylvania: a cloaked figure stood before Castle Dracula. As the sun set the figure strode through the gate.

Down in the crypt a casket opened. Out stepped Vlad Drakul, Count Dracula. As he made his entrance into the great hall he saw the cloaked figure.

"How dare you invade my inner sanctum!"

The cloaked figure removed his hood. It revealed a head with flowing white hair, flecked with black. A many coloured cloak was just visible below the over cloak.

"We have a common enemy, my dear Count. A certain Dr. Phineas Magus, an old rival of mine and an old enemy of yours."

"I know of Magus." replied Dracula. "But who are you?"

The other bowed low. "I am Saruman the White!"

Magus and Thomas Leacock stood in his study at Craigmillar. Magus removed a key cast from the finest mithril silver, and pulled a heavy velvet curtain to one side. Then, he opened the door to the study. In trotted four animals, Teddy, Magus' border collie, Toby, the Labrador, and Jimmy and Tabitha, the cats. Magus closed and then locked his study door. As the door swung open Leacock, now in the guise of Magician, could not believe his eyes. Gone were the rocky cliffs of Craigmillar Island, to be replaced by a cast field of shining snow. A herd of woolly mammoths moved across the horizon. Magus unfurled his Persian rug.

"Where are we?" asked Magician.

"We are in Istarix. I mean to seek out other allies."

Magus and his party soon left the boundaries of Istarix behind and were now sailing down the coasts of Middle-Earth. Thomas gazed up at the black sail above them.

"Where does this ship come from?" he asked.

"It is from the Corsairs of Umtar." Magus replied.

"But where are we going?" Thomas asked.

"To the Land of the Gods!"

A bank of fog enfolded the ship. When the fog cleared the ship was anchored at a dock. In the distance could be seen a towering city.

"What is that?" asked Magician.

"Valhalla." smiled Magus. "We are meeting our allies!"

They made their way towards the city. As they approached the gates two heavily armed guards barred their way. Then as Magician watched both his suit and Magus' had been replaced by robes. The guards moved aside.

Magus led Magician down into the Great Hall of Valhalla. Around the walls sat the gods of Asgard, Olympus, Egypt, China, Japan, and the Celtic gods.

"Leave this to me." said Magus.

"Speak, Magus!" boomed Odin. "Why doest thou venture into the Land of the Gods?"

"A great crisis looms on the planet Earth." Magus replied. "A crisis that threatens the entire space/time continuum. A gathering of evil forces is taking place in Sylvania."

"We, too, have noticed a disturbance." said Zeus. "A disturbance that has not been seen since the Ring Wars in Middle-Earth!"

"Then why doest thou enter here?" boomed Odin. "Hast thou not gathered a force to combat this threat?"

"I have, Lord Odin." Magus replied. "But my observations tell me that my unknown adversary is gathering forces from the past, the present, and perhaps, the future. By doing this, he has slightly changed the course of history. I do not have the power to summon such forces. This is why I have come here. I seek your help."

"You wish us to join forces with you?" asked Zeus. "Alas, only a few of us can ever step foot on Earth."

Then, from out of the shadows walked a man. He carried in one hand a spear, and in the other, a sling. Then, he spoke.

"I will go. For I am Lug, the Celtic god, the Lamfhada, the Samildanach. I am many. I am warrior, harper, poet and sorcerer."

"You are indeed most welcome, Lug." said Magus. "You and your skills are very well known to me."

"Then so be it." boomed Zeus. "Good luck to you and your forces, Magus. Remember this, the gods will go with you!"

And so the force of good grew. It now included Anglo-Force, the Warriors, Tiger, and the god, Lug.

Although the force now numbered near twenty, the recruiting continued. Inspector Solo had reported several sightings of Jet, but the sightings were not consistent.

The force had now gathered at Pendragon's mansion, to lay down their plans. It was after a hard day that Magus stood on top of one of the surrounding hills, gazing into the sky. His thoughts were on the impending battle with an unknown adversary. He then noticed something in the sky that looked familiar to him, a streak of yellow shooting across the sky. Soon, the shape of a man could be seen. As the flying man got closer, he recognised him. The man was none other than Jock Muir, in his guise as Stingray. Stingray landed in front of Magus, who could not believe his eyes.

"Jock!" he smiled, grasping Stingray's hand. "What on earth are you doing here? Aren't you getting a bit old for this sort of thing?"

Stingray removed his mask. "That's the pot calling the kettle black!" Muir laughed. "Compared to me, you're ancient!"

"What are you doing here, Jock?" Magus asked. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to see if I still had it in me." Muir replied. "And I have! It never goes away. But this whole situation, and my being in charge of this headquarters building project, brought back a lot of memories, and not all of them good."

A grim expression appeared in Muir's face. Magus placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're talking about, old friend." said Magus. "I took often think of Russell Nash, our Highlander friend. But there's a lot to the story I never told the rest of you."

"Why not?" asked Muir. "We were like brothers in those days. You, me, Russ, Frank and the Prince. Why did Russell kill someone? Why did he break our most sacred vow?"

"It is a long story." said Magus. "For now, though, I will tell you this. If the Highlander had not killed his opponent that night, he would not be alive today!"

"Alive!" said Muir. "I thought he died over thirty years ago! What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"I said before. " said Magus. "It is a long story, and now is not the time to tell that story. Now I have something to ask you, if you will come inside."

So soon, Jock Muir, Stingray, was also a part of the force.

Vasaria, the late nineteenth century. A strange creature stalked the forest, for he was neither man, nor breast. He was werewolf.

It was a full moon on this night, and the werewolf had just taken another life. Soon, the moon began to disappear, as the sun began to rise. Slowly, the transformation began again. Slowly, the werewolf began to change back into a man, a man called Lawrence Talbot.

Talbot looked up into the sky. A look of utter fear was on his face. He knew that while he was in the form of a werewolf, he had killed. He was filled with guilt. If he could have, he would have killed himself. But he knew he could not.

He began to wander through the forest, in search of a place to hide. He knew that the mutilated body of his victim would soon be found.

As he ran through the forest, he saw a woman in the distance. Had she seen him commit murder? Perhaps, perhaps not. As Talbot stood there looking at her, she walked over to him. Talbot was struck dumb by the woman's beauty. As she got nearer to him, she spoke.

"Lawrence Talbot?" she asked.

"How did you know my name?" he asked.

"I know many things." the woman said. "I know your name, your date and place of birth, and I know that you see a cure to your curse."

"How do you know of my curse?" Talbot asked. "I'm the only one that knows."

The woman placed her hand on Talbot's head. "I am all knowing, all seeing!" she said. "I can cure you of your curse, Lawrence, if you will come with me!"

"Can you sure me?" asked Talbot.

"I can do anything I wish!" the woman replied.

The strange woman raised her hand, and a portal opened.

"Come with me, Lawrence Talbot." she said. "Through the portal lies an answer to your nightmare. Through the portal lies the end of your curse!"

The woman led Talbot to the portal's entrance.

"Wait!" said Talbot. "You haven't told me your name!"

"You wish to know my name, Lawrence? My name is Morgana Le Fey!"

Latvia, one hundred years later. A convoy of cars headed towards the Latvia/Sylvania border. No one had been on this road for many years and it had fallen into disrepair. This was the only road out of Sylvania.

Soon, the convoy reached the Sylvanian border. The road was blocked with trees and various other things. Then, from out of the front car, a woman got out. She was clad entirely in black, with a black shroud covering her face. She looked at the roadblock, as if she was waiting for someone.

"Saruman!" she cried.

An astral image of Saruman's face appeared in the sky above them.

"Mother Nature!" he boomed. "So you have arrived."

"Why this blockade?" shouted Mother Nature.

"It is to stop unwanted visitors." Saruman replied. "Are all of your comrades with you? Theophilus, Celsius and the others?"

"The entire Black Squadron are here!" Mother Nature replied.

"Excellent!" said Saruman. "Then you may enter my country. Follow the road and you will soon be in my castle."

Then, without warning, the road blockade vanished. The convoy continued on it's way. The road on the Sylvanian side of the border was in perfect condition. As soon as the convoy was on Sylvanian land, the blockade re-appeared, looking as if nothing had happened.

Within an hour, the Black Squadron found themselves within the dark, foreboding hills of Castle Oklev, the castle that Saruman had made his own. The landscape around the castle looked like it belonged in a Tolkien novel. As the convoy approached the castle, the drawbridge opened. Inside, they saw a party of orcs, seated around a large fire, cooking some large, wild beast that they had captured and killed. They stopped in the main castle courtyard. Mother Nature got out of the lead car. As she looked around, she could not believe her eyes. There were many creatures she had thought only mythical all around the courtyard, such as orcs, trolls and dundelings. One orc came up to her. The orc grunted at Mother Nature, and motioned toward a large door. Mother Nature signalled to her co-cohorts to stay outside.

The orc lead Mother Nature through a long, dark corridor, into a large room. Paintings and tapestries lined the walls. A large table was in the centre of the room. A large banquet had been catered for. Around the table sat the Voltanian, Panther, the Russian, Captain Shield, and his number two, Death Angel, of the Nightmares. Opposite them sat Morgana Le Fey. At the head of the table sat the owner of the castle, Saruman the White.

"Greetings to you, Mother Nature!" he said. "Come, join us. Eat!"

Mother Nature sat at the table. "What's with all those monsters outside?" she asked. "When we made our deal, you said nothing about monsters!"

"Orcs are not monsters." Saruman replied. "Orcs have served me for many years. They are loyal subjects!"

"And besides." said Panther. "Some of our other allies could be termed as monsters!"

Then, the huge door swung open, and in walked a caped figure, Count Dracula.

"It can't be!" gasped Mother Nature.

"It is!" said Dracula. "We all share a common enemy!"

"And if you wish to collect the large amount of money you were promised," said Saruman, "you will do as I say!"

The gathering of forces continued in Britain. Jet had again been spotted over London.

He was flying high over north London. He had known nothing of what had been going on. As he flew through the air, a gust of wind blew past him. For a few seconds he was confused. Then he remembered. Only one man could fly faster than him. He noticed that a man had stopped ahead of him. He recognised him instantly as the Captain, James Watt.

"Hello, Clarkie!" said Watt.

"Jim!" said Jet. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you remember that promise you made?" asked Watt. "We need that help, now."

"So what's the problem?" asked Jet.

"I'll race you back to the Surrey countryside." Watt replied. "I'll explain there!"

Magus sat deep in the vaults below Craigmillar. Soon, he found what he was looking for. He left the vaults and returned to his study room. Soon, he teleported back to Surrey. As he entered the mansion, Mr. X greeted him.

"What possible use can that be?" he asked. "A piece of old metal like that!"

Magus smiled. He placed his hand over the lamp. Purple vapour began to billow out. Then, as the smoke cleared, a djinn, golden skinned and clad in clothes of ancient Persia stood before them.

"Who summons Johangas Khan, the genie of the lamp?"

"It is I, Magus. Your help is needed."

The genie bowed. "It shall be yours."

Magus smiled. Then he gestured to Mr. X. "Obey this man." he said.

As they stood, Stingray entered.

"Khan! I haven't seen you in years!"

Khan bowed. "O Stingray, the years have been kind to you!"

Magus drew Stingray to one side. "Tell me Jock, have you seen Frank recently?"

Muir shook his head. "Not for a good few years now. Not since the seventies, when he went to study the giant apes on Skull Island!"

"Then I must go there!"

Granamyr appeared in the sky. Magus flew up to join him.

The journey to Skull Island, in the South Seas, did not take long. The jet had not yet been invented that can match a speed with a dragon. Magus landed along and headed for the village which, over sixty years before, had been terrified by Kong. As he entered the village a familiar figure greeted him, the brown hair now flecked with grey, but even at the age of eighty there was no mistaking Dr. Francis Burns, the Beastmaster. In his heyday all creatures obeyed him. He hurried over to Magus.

"Phineas, I was expecting you. Hurry!"

They made their way to the edge of the village, and gazed out into the jungle.

"What do you sea?" asked Burns.

"The wall is gone?" replied Magus.

Burns nodded. "The villagers say there was never a wall. They don't know about King anymore. There are no giant apes on Skull Island!"

"I have a feeling, Frank, that I know where King is. Come with me, we may need your help."

They returned to the beach were Granamyr was waiting.

"It's like old times." said Burns. "Off on a mission!"

"More than you think." said Magus. "Muir is with us too. But we can find no sign of Nash or Poseidon.

Saruman stood in Sylvania, preparing to send out his portal once more, this the portal was expected. On the planet Skaro, a Dalek spaceship, commanded by their leader Davros, passed through. It landed outside his castle. As they left, Saruman greeted them warmly.

"Soon, we will be ready!"

Back at Pendragon's mansion, Magus had called a meeting of the assembled forces.

"I have studied why the balance of forces is so critical at this time. It seems that were are approaching a join in the time line. Should this join be fractured or altered in any way then not only will the future be altered but also history itself. This is what I believe our enemy is seeking to do. I have contacted the Time Lords of Gallifrey, they are sending aid."

"So what do we do?" asked Woodwose. "Wait?"

"We can do no more." replied Magus. "All scans into Sylvania have been repulsed. I do not believe we will have long to wait."

A day later, Frank Burns walked through London. As he stopped at a newsagent, and brought a paper. As he left the newsagent, he took a look at the front page. The main story was about the first manned space flight to Jupiter, and the shuttle craft under the command of Colonel Winthorn. As he read the headline, he could not believe his eyes. The words in front of him began to change. The headline did not say anything about a successful launch of a manned space craft, but of a space craft's destruction on the launch pad. It also made no mention of a Colonel Parker Winthorn. Burns knew that he had to get back to the mansion as soon as possible.

As he made his way back in his rented car, he noticed that a crowd had gathered, and they were looking into the sky. Burns looked, and he could not believe his eyes. Flying through the sky was a United States Airforce bi-plane, the likes of which had not been seen since the early 1930's. The aircraft was in some difficulty, and began to nose dive toward the busy London streets. The gathering crowd began to panic. The plane plunged into the streets, and caught alight. As the crowd looked on in horror, Burns rushed over to the wreck. He saw that the pilot had been thrown clear, and went to him. Burns removed the pilot's leather flying helmet. The pilot gazed up at him.

"Hey fella!" he said. "Guess I got that big, hairy monkey, eh?"

The pilot coughed violently, and then died. Burns then noticed the name on the pilot's uniform - Captain Winthorn.

Burns moved to one side as the emergency services arrived, then, as a sparrow perched on his finger, a message passed. The bird flew away.

The message soon delivered, Magus arrived at the morgue to which they had taken the body. He was met by Burns and Chief Inspector Jeavons. Grimly they strode into the building. Magus marched up to reception.

"Where is the body which was just brought it?"

Soon they were standing in the mortuary itself. The body of the pilot lay in front of them.

"What are you going to do, Magus?" asked Jeavons. "Bring him back to life?"

"No." replied Magus. "I could only do that using voodoo. We already know that Winthorn is out of his own time. We also know that a Colonel Winthorn should have been on that recent space mission but was not. I would assume that Colonel Winthorn is, or was a direct descendant of Captain Winthorn. Without the one, the other cannot exist."

"He mentioned a monkey." said Burns. "It could tie in with what happened on Skull Island."

"There is one way to find out." said Magus. "I will scan his memories."

For a brief moment Magus' hands hovered above Winthorn's brow. A smile played upon his face.

"Our enemy has made a mistake!" he smiled. "One of his allies is Kong! We know where to begin!

**CHAPTER NINE**

A lone figure stood on the hills surrounding Loch Shiel. He gazed into the distance, deep in thought. He knew that a great crisis threatened mankind, and he knew that he would have a role to play. But when would he make his entrance? And would it be a major role? Only one man could answer these questions, and that man was Connor McCloud, the Highlander.

The identity of the enemy still remained a mystery to Anglo-Force and their allies. They did know, however, that Kong was at their disposal. Jock Muir, minus his Stingray costume, had returned to the building site of Anglo-Force's new headquarters. It was now essential that the building and all the equipment be completed. Arthur Pendragon's mansion was a nice enough place to live, but it did not have the equipment they would need.

From many miles away, the leader of the "Brotherhood", Saruman the White, observed the goings on from his Sylvanian fortress. He stood, gazing into a portal, and he seemed amused. His other allies, Morgana Le Fey and Mother Nature, entered the room.

"Magus flatters me!" said Saruman. "He has gathered a mighty force, but still, I am unknown to him!"

"When do we make our first move?" asked Mother Nature. "The Black Squadron is not used to just sitting around, doing nothing! What is out first goal?"

"Our first goal will soon become apparent, my dear!" Saruman replied. "Whilst Kong diverts their attention, you and your Black Squadron will be given a mighty task, to collect the greatest prize known to man!"

And with that, Saruman left the room. He ventured deep into the bowels of his castle, into the dungeons. He strode through dimly-light corridors, until he came to a huge cage. The bars were made of adamantium, the strongest metal known to man. Saruman peered into the cage. In one corner of the cage sat the mighty Kong. The mighty beast sat dejected. Saruman smiled.

"Soon, mighty one, soon!" he said. "Your mighty power will be unleashed on the world again. Soon, you, and others like you will be the backbone of my army!"

Kong stared at Saruman. His huge eyes narrowed, as if he was showing anger at his new master. Saruman walked away from the cage, to meet Morgana.

"Think, Saruman." she said. "If we had more than one beast such as that! We would be unstoppable!"

The wizard smiled. From his robes Saruman produced a copy of The Times.

"We can have what we want, my dear Morgana!" he smiled. "And all thanks to the efforts of Jock Muir and Magus! Read that!"

The front page bore a banner headline. It read as follows;

_MONSTERS TO BE CONFINED_

_The Japanese government confirmed today that Ogasawa Island on the southern Pacific has been selected to house the monsters which have in years past terrorised the world. They will be electronically confined on the island by a system designed by Muir Industries and funded by the billionaire philanthropist Dr. Phineas Magus. Creatures to be housed on the island include Gorgo, Mothra, Godzilla, Spygon, Anguillis, Barogon, Gorosaurus, Rodan, Ebirah, Titanosaurus, Manda and Megalon. Further facilities are planned to house creatures such as the Gillman and the Frankenstein monster._

Saruman smiled broadly.

"As I said, they have brought all we need together!"

They laid their plans to steal the creatures from Ogasawa Island. It was a simple matter for a mage of Saruman's skills to use the portals to steal them away.

Watt rushed into Mr. X's office, brandishing the newspaper report, hot from the fax.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" he asked. "We know they have Kong, now Godzilla and the rest!"

"Easy Jim!" said Mr. X. "Magus is in charge of this one!"

Two days later a Hercules transport aircraft landed at a private airfield near Istanbul. Three trucks drove up and a cargo door opened. Theophilus looked out.

"I never cared for desert terrain." he sneered. "Why would Saruman not send one of his orc raiding parties?"

Morgana Le Fey joined him at the door.

"You know full well why we were sent here, Theophilus. The Holy Grail is a great prize, countless people have sought it, and failed. It almost fell into German hands in the late thirties…..if it had, Hitler would now rule the world."

"Then we would replace him." smiled the rogue psychiatrist.

"Follow me." said the witch. "I have the map which shows us where to go."

They had been monitoring Sylvania. Still nothing could be detected, owing to the strange veil which had been drawn over the country.

"It reminds me of the Girdle of Melian." mused Magus. "It enclosed the land of Doriath, on Middle Earth. It was only breached twice, by Beran, whose doom was greater than the power of Melian, and by the wolf Cracharoth, whose rage was fed by the power of a silmaril."

"Then we need a silmaril." said Stingray.

"As far as I know, they are all lost. They may be retrieved at the end of the world."

"While you're reminiscing, Magus." interjected Chameleon. "I'm picking up an energy reading like that force field, in Turkey. Istanbul to be exact."

"I once travelled there on the Orient Express, with a friend of mine, a chap named Poirot."

Then, an emergency came through from Scotland yard. Paul Solo appeared on the view-screen.

"Magus." he cried. "The stolen monsters have re-appeared. Kong and Godzilla are attacking Washington, Gorgo and Rodan are in Moscow, Ebirah and Megalon are in Tokyo, Manda and Mothra are in Johannesburg, Barogon and Anguillis in Sydney, Spygon and Gorosaurus are in London!"

"It's a diversionary tactic, Inspector." said Magus. "But one we can't ignore. Our enemies mean to locate and use the power of the Holy Grail, but want us distracted elsewhere. I'll get Mr. X to organise squads to deal with the threat. I must organise a squad to deal with the threat in Turkey."

The screen went blank.

"What do you mean, the Holy Grail?" asked Chameleon.

"There are three sacred objects which hold great power." said Magus. "The Ark of the Covenant, the lance which pierced Christ's side at the crucifixion, and the Holy Grail. For many thousands of years the Grail lay concealed in a secret site in Turkey, guarded by a crusader. Then, in 1938, Dr. Indiana Jones re-discovered it. The story is too long to go into here, but the Grail, suffice it to say, was lost once more."

"But it's just a cup!" said Stingray.

"Not just a cup." replied Magus. "The cup of Christ. It must not fall into enemy hands!"

Then, Mr. X entered the room.

"We must act, Magus." he said.

"Listen carefully." said Magus. "I'm putting all the equipment here on automatic. I will need brains rather than brawn with me. I'm taking Magician, Stingray, Chameleon, Tiger, Changer and Marvel Boy."

Mr. X then organised the rest.

"Captain, Beastmaster, Star Man, you take Washington. White Knight, Woodwose, Axe Kid, Moscow. Cosmic Kid, Johangas Khan, you take Tokyo. Lug, Johannesburg. Jet, you're with me. You'll find help in the cities."

Destinations were soon reached. As the Captain, Beastmaster and Star Man reached Washington they could see Kong atop the Washington Monument, Godzilla was heading toward the White House. As they landed they were greeted by the American heroes, Supercop and Mighty Man.

"Any news as to why these creatures have appeared?" asked Supercop.

"They're being controlled from Sylvania." said Watt. "But we haven't been able to get into the country yet."

Watt, Star Man and Supercop then jetted off to join the battle. Burns then turned to Mighty Man.

"We've known each other for a few years." he said. "Do you trust my judgement?"

"Always." said Mighty man.

"I want to try and establish telepathic contact with Kong, to see if I can break the control over him. Godzilla's mind is too reptilian. I've never come across one like it, but I can communicate with Kong. Can you fly me near him?"

"Sure can!"

The battle was not going well. Supercop and the Captain had managed to contain the monsters in one area, whilst Star Man put out the fires caused by Godzilla, but despite their combined powers they could not defeat the monsters. Then, Mighty Man and the Beastmaster appeared in a small jet. Burns wore a thought magnification helmet on his head. Godzilla looked up as they approached, blasting flame at them. It was deflected by a blast from Star Man.

"Hurry!" cried Burns. "I can't hold out for long!"

Mighty man held the jet steady. Then, he manoeuvred toward Kong. Supercop and the Captain circled around the great ape. Suddenly, a bemused look came over the simian's face. His eyelids began to droop, he rocked back and forth. Then, he plunged from the Washington Monument.

"Catch him!" yelled Burns.

Supercop and the Captain swooped down, getting the cast bulk of the Gorilla. Gradually, they slowed it down. As they set it down a blast of flame from Godzilla smashed into them, knocking both way. The great lizard bent low over his fallen ally. A blast from Star Man struck Godzilla, sending him feeling. A triple punch from Supercop, Mighty Man and the Captain knocked him out.

"Now what?" asked Supercop.

"We have to get these two back to Ogasawa Island. I may be about to find out who our enemies are from them." replied Burns.

Magician stood on top of a high building, overlooking the busy market traders in Istanbul. He was deep in thought. This would be the first mission he had been on without his mentor, Dr. Magus, and he was worried. Then, a familiar figure materialized next to him. It was Chameleon.

"How's it going, Tom?" he asked. "I couldn't get one piece of information while I was down there."

"Nor I." said Magician. "It is as if someone is clouding their thoughts with some sort of mystical cloud, something which I can not deal with at this time."

Chameleon placed his hand on the youngster's shoulder.

"I don't know much about magic." he said. "But I do know that these things take time."

Then, Cosmic Kid flew overhead.

"Anything?" asked Chameleon.

"There is an aircraft in the desert three miles south of here." he replied. "And two sets of tracks going east."

"The Grail!" said Magician. "They are definitely going after the Grail!"

"Go and find the others." said Chameleon. "Tell them to get back here!"

A few hours later, the six stood in the rocky hills east of Istanbul. Tiger was the first to notice something.

"Look's like there's has been some sort of battle here." he said. "Look at that."

"A battle that took place sixty years ago." said Chameleon. "Look at the markings on that tank! Nazi!"

Magician placed his hand on the ground.

"They have been here." he said. "But how many, I can't tell. All I can tell is that there is a mystical presence here, one much more powerful than myself."

"Can you detect anything?" asked Chameleon.

"Only that they are four hours ahead of us." Magician replied. "We must hurry or all will be lost."

Marvel Boy leant against the tank.

"Can we rest for a moment?" he asked. "I need a drink! The heat here is unbearable!"

Then, to his amazement, a glass of ice water appeared in front of him, followed by a hand, and then, the rest of Dr. Magus.

"This should cool you down, young man!" he said.

"Where have you been, old friend?" asked Stingray.

"I've been to see an old friend of mine." Magus replied. "Dr. Henry Jones Senior!"

Magus took a small book out of his pocket.

"This is his diary." said Magus. "This book contains everything we need to know. It gives us an advantage over our unknown enemies."

"And what of the monsters?" asked Chameleon.

"They are being dealt with as I speak." said Magus. "Ogasawa Island will be their home once again. Now come, we have no time to lose."

Many miles ahead, Morgana Le Fey stood, looking at the cliff face. Mother Nature came up to her.

"I still don't see why Saruman would want it." said Mother Nature. "He was many allies. Why go after an ancient up?"

Morgana stared at Mother Nature.

"You are a fool!" she said. "With the Grail, the forces of Saruman the White would reign supreme!"

"So how do we get into this cavern?" asked Mother Nature. "It would take us days to remove these huge boulders. Even Trull couldn't shift them quickly!"

Morgana raised her hand, and began chanting. Mother Nature snorted. Even someone of her intelligence never understood the magic arts. She could not believe her eyes when the huge rocks began to move, seemingly by themselves.

"You still doubt my power?" asked Morgana.

"There are better ways of doing this." said Mother Nature.

"Enough!" said Morgana. "Gather your minnows. You will enter the cavern, and find the Holy Grail!"

"How will I find it?" asked Mother Nature.

Morgana opened her hand, and a piece of paper appeared.

"This is a map." she said. "It gives the exact whereabouts of the Grail. Now go!"

"What about you?" asked Mother Nature. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"No." Morgana replied. "I must study these markings. I can learn much from these."

Mother Nature signalled to the others, and soon, they were all in the caverns. As soon as they were in, Morgana raised her hand once again, and the huge rocks were in place once more. She raised her other hand, and the cavern filled with light. She then kneeled on the floor, and began to examine the markings. She began whispering to herself, and then a smile appeared on her face.

"I don't like this." said Theophilus. "She's up to something!"

"I feel it too." said Mother Nature. "It's as if she's trying to double-cross us and Saruman!"

Outside the cavern, there was a shimmer, and a portal began to open. It was unlike any of the other portals which Saruman had used. Then, it became clear. Out stepped Magus, followed by Magician, Chameleon and the others.

"The presence is very strong here." said Magician. "I can feel a very powerful force here."

"You should do, my boy." said Magus. "The Holy Grail is somewhere in this cavern, and from what I can tell, so are our adversaries.

"Any idea who they are?" asked Stingray.

"They are still being cloaked." said Magus. "There is a strong presence in this cavern behind this wall, and a lesser one deeper in the cavern."

Magus walked to the entrance of the cavern. He placed his hand on the rocks.

"These rocks have been moved recently." he said. "And obviously put back into place."

"When?" asked Chameleon.

"Within the last ten minutes." Magus replied.

"Impossible!" said Tiger. "There is only one man capable of doing that quickly, and the Captain is in Washington!"

"These rocks were not moved by the hand of man." said Magus. "They were moved by the hand of magic!"

"But who?" asked Chameleon.

"That is what I am about to find out." said Magus. "Thomas, you come with me. The rest of you stay out here."

"Can't we just blast these rocks out of the way?" asked Stingray.

"No." said Magus. "From what I can tell, the element of surprise is on our side! Come, Thomas!"

Inside the cavern Morgana continued to study the inscriptions on the wall. Then, she heard a noise from the entrance. Sensing danger she phased into the wall. Magus and Magician moved into the cavern. Then, Morgana realised her mistake.

"There are no torches or other illuminates here." mused Magus. "I sense that this light has a magical origin."

"I feel a strong presence here, Doctor." replied Magician.

"As do I, a presence I have not sensed for many years." He looked around. "Let the others in."

Magician turned to the entrance, and the boulders began to vanish. When the hole was large enough, the others walked into the cavern.

"So what's the S.P.?" asked Chameleon.

"Our adversaries are in this cavern." Magus replied. "But I fear that they may have been ill informed!"

Before Magus could say another word, a loud cry of pain could be heard from deep inside the cavern.

"What the hell was that?" shouted Stingray.

"They've reached the main chamber!" said Magus. "They may have found the Holy Grail! Follow me, time is running out!"

Quickly, they ran into one of the tunnels. As they left the cavern, Morgana re-appeared.

"Excellent!" she thought. "Everything is almost complete!"

She then walked into the tunnel.

The sight that greeted Magus was not a pretty one. They came to the site of the first test that was mentioned in Dr. Jones' diary. Two razor sharp steel blades now stuck out of the walls, and on the floor lay a body.

"It's Celsius!" said Tiger. "It's the Black Squadron! They're here!"

They continued on their way through the tunnel.

The Black Squadron were far ahead of them. They now stood atop a high cliff.

"You know what to do, Reaper." Mother Nature ordered.

A small cloud of smoke began to form around their legs. Slowly, it began to lift them off the ground, and carry them to the other side of the cliff.

"We are nearly there." said Mother Nature.

They continued into another tunnel.

Magus and the others were soon at the cliff also.

"This part should be no problem." said Chameleon.

"Thomas." said Magus. "You carry Tiger."

Magus then took to the air, followed by the others.

Mother Nature was the first to enter the final cavern. Her first sight was that of many goblets. Then, she saw the old crusader, who had been guarding the Holy Grail for hundreds of years. A shocked look appeared on the old man's face.

"The clothes are indeed getting stranger." he remarked.

"Which one is it, old man?" shouted Mother Nature. "Which cup is the Holy Grail?"

"You must choose the cup yourself." said the crusader. "And for your sake, I hope you choose wisely!"

Mother Nature turned around, and pointed at Dr. Theophilus.

"You." she said. "You choose!"

The Grim Reaper pushed Theophilus forward. He walked over to the cups, and picked up a wooden one.

"Now go to the water." Mother Nature ordered. "Drink from the cup, now!"

Theophilus walked over to the font, and scooped some of the water into the cup. He moved the cup toward his mouth. He was about to take a sip when Magus entered.

"Stop!" he cried.

But before he could do anything, Theophilus drank from the cup. He stood, motionless, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.

"You chose, wisely!" said the crusader.

A slight smile appeared on Theophilus' face.

"Quickly!" he said. "We must use this to save Celsius!"

Theophilus scooped some more water into the cup. But before he could do anything else, Morgana Le Fey materialized in front of him. She snatched the Grail from his hand.

"This will not be used to save anyone." she said. "Soon, Saruman and myself will have ultimate power."

Then, as she held the Grail, it began to float away from her grasp. She was shocked. She had not noticed Magus when she materialized into the room.

"Damn you, Magus!" she cried.

"You are ill informed, Morgana." said Magus. "I would have thought that even Saruman the White would know that the Holy Grail can never leave this chamber!"

Morgana raised her hand, and unleashed a mystic bolt at Magus, who counter-acted with one of his own. It was then that the others entered the chamber.

"You fool, Mother Nature!" screamed Morgana. "Don't just stand there! Get them!"

Realising that she no longer had any say in the matter, Mother Nature ordered her remaining forces to attack their foes. A mighty battle ensued. Trull attacked Changer, who turned himself into a mighty gorilla. Mother Nature became frustrated when she had no effect on Magician. Vampira tried to hypnotise Tiger, but her powers only worked on human eyes, not the eyes of a cat. Theophilus was still basking in his new found immortality when Marvel Boy hit him with a telekinetic blast. The Grim Reaper became incensed when he could not find Chameleon. He was easy prey from a sting blast from behind. The battle of the mystics between Magus and Morgana continued.

After Marvel Boy had knocked Theophilus to the ground, he turned his attention to the main battle. This made it possible for Theophilus to pick up the Holy Grail, and fill it with water. He then ran as fast as he could to the body of Celsius. He poured some of the water into Celsius' mouth, and then into his wound. There was a hiss, and then the wound began to vanish.

"It works!" smiled Theophilus.

The battle continued in the chamber. Neither side could gain an advantage, although it seemed that Morgana had more than met her match in Magus.

The Grim Reaper continued to be confused by Chameleon. Just as he materialized behind him, he was attacked from behind. A fire-blast from Celsius sent Chameleon reeling.

"Morgana!" cried Theophilus. "We have the Grail!"

Magus' attention was diverted long enough for Morgana to hit him with a powerful mystic blast, which knocked him to the ground.

"Black Squadron!" Morgana shouted. "Gather behind me!"

Mother Nature and her hordes broke off their attack, and gathered behind Morgana.

"The Holy Grail is ours!" she cried.

Morgana raised her hands, and a bright light began to appear. A still groggy Magus looked up.

"Thomas!" he said. "The Grail!"

Magician knew what he had to do. He ran toward the light, raised his hand, and with all of his youthful power, tried to pull the Grail from Morgana's grasp. His power was not working.

"Too strong!" he cried. "Her power is too much for me!"

Then, Stingray walked over to Magician. He remembered something that had happened many years ago. When Magus needed more power to attack a foe one time, he took the power from Stingray.

Stingray held out his hand.

"Here, laddie!" he said. "It worked in the fifties, so it should work now!"

Magician grasped Stingray's hand. The young wizard's power was increased greatly. But time was running out. The light from the portal that Morgana had opened was beginning to fade. Then, to her amazement, the Grail began to move away from her grasp. The strain began to show on Magician's face. Slowly, he was prising the Grail away from Morgana's grasp.

"Hurry lad!" cried Stingray. "She's nearly gone!"

The portal was nearly closed. With one final, huge effort, Magician pulled the Grail away from Morgana's grasp. Before she could do anything, the portal was gone. Morgana Le Fey and the Black Squadron were back in Sylvania. Magician, totally exhausted, slumped to the ground. The old crusader, who had watched the battle from a distance, walked over to the fallen teenager.

"You are indeed a brave young man." he said.

Magus, now recovered from Morgana's attack, helped his fallen student.

"I know of you." said the crusader. "You are the Magus, are you not?"

"It has been many years since we last met." said Magus.

"It is now obvious to me that the Grail is no longer safe." the Crusader said. "They will, no doubt, try to take it away from this place."

"Not as long as I have a say in the matter." said Magus. "I can create a mystic force-field so that no man, mortal or otherwise, may ever set foot in this chamber again."

"I will be eternally grateful." said the crusader. "Without your assistance, the Holy Grail would have fallen into the wrong hands.

"Yes." said Magus. "And now we know who our enemy is. A man that I have not encountered for nearly a thousand years, Saruman the White!"

**CHAPTER TEN**

Saruman's diversionary tactic had not worked, but six of the world's greatest cities had been largely destroyed. All the monsters save Ebirah had been returned to Ogasawa Island. Burns stood in the control room, gazing at the control screens. Then, Magus entered.

"I've managed to read Kong's thoughts." said Burns. "The man who captured him is called….."

"Saruman the White." interjected Magus. "We met his paramour in Turkey."

Magus raised his hand, and the two of them were soon back in London. The squads had returned from all around the world. Mr. X greeted Magus.

"We now know who our adversary is." said Magus. "Now at last we can lay plans to combat him."

"What do you propose?" asked Mr. X.

"We know that he has mastery over time and space. I propose that we find a way of taking this war where it can not harm anyone."

"Where?" asked Burns.

"That I do not know as yet."

Magus had no idea, however, that his idea was being noted by a highly powerful being, many thousands of light years from Earth.

Saruman sat in the main hall of his mighty castle in Sylvania. His forces had been depleted greatly when the monsters were returned to Ogasawa Island. He knew that he would have to draw forces from elsewhere. As he pondered his next move, Davros, leader of the Daleks, entered.

"Saruman!" he shouted. "I demand to speak with you!"

"Not now, Davros." said Saruman. "I must have time to think."

"The time for thinking is over." said Davros. "Now is the time for action. We must strike now!"

"Strike where, Davros?" asked Saruman. "As we speak, Mighty Man and Supercop are gathering forces to defend the Americas. Anglo-Force are making plans to defend Europe. All over the world, armies are being gathered. My main weapons, the monsters, are now beyond my grasp!"

"Even without your monsters, our forces are mighty!" said Davros. "With your orcs, my Daleks, and the evil forces from this planet, we still outnumber them! And besides, the scanners in my space craft detect two of Earth's monsters are free!"

"Free?" queried Saruman. "Which ones?"

"The lobster, Ebirah, is near the South American continent." Davros replied. "The other is still in it's home, within a large body of water, a hundred miles away from the home of Dr. Magus!"

"Then all is not lost." Saruman smiled. "If Ebirah is near South America, and if I can direct him to the Atlantic Ocean, then another target presents itself, Atlantis!"

On Ogasawa Island, Dr. Fuji Takada, the scientist in charge of the operation, stood on a balcony gazing out across the island. In the distance he could see the mighty Kong, about to enter the jungle area. As he watched, Magus joined him.

"You have indeed brought us a great prize, Dr. Magus." said Takada. "Kong is a mighty capture, a great asset!"

"An asset you may not be able to keep." said Magus.

"What do you mean?" asked Takada.

"Burns told you how Kong came to be here, did he not?" said Magus.

"Yes." Takada replied.

"A young pilot was also brought with him." continued Magus. "The pilot died whilst in the present, aged twenty five. My records showed that he should have died in 1973, aged sixty five, leaving a wife and two children. His grandson should have been on a manned space flight to Mars last month, a flight that never happened. At this moment, I have a friend checking if time was altered further. If it was, Kong may have to return to 1933!"

Saruman sat in his study. Open books lay all over the desk. As he thought about his next move, Captain Shield walked in.

"What is it?" he snorted. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I bring important news." Shield said. "Control of Ebirah has been re-established! He is ours once again!"

"Excellent!" said Saruman, putting his book down. "Assemble your forces. Ready your aircraft. Direct Ebirah to the mid-Atlantic, and order him to wait there. We travel to Scotland first!"

The Nightmares prepared their aircraft. Shield supervised as the aircraft was placed within the docking bay of the Dalek's ship. When all was ready, Saruman boarded the space craft.

"All is ready." said one Dalek.

"Good." said Saruman. "Davros, where would be the best place to see if your scanners are correct?"

"In direct orbit above Scotland." Davros replied.

"Are you mad, Saruman?" boomed Shield. "Are you proposing that we launch my aircraft from space? It is madness?"

"Do not doubt me, Shield." said Saruman. "I have the power to protect your craft when it re-enters the atmosphere. But first, we have to see if it is there."

"What are you talking about?" asked Shield.

"All will become clear within time, Captain." replied Saruman. "All will become clear."

Saruman and the Nightmares were not the only ones who were travelling. For nearly five days. Connor McCloud had been travelling on foot, from his home near Lock Shiel, to probably the most famous loch in Scotland, Loch Ness. He had gone there for a reason unknown to him. It was like he was being drawn to Loch Ness by an unknown force. But now he had arrived at his destination, and he knew that the only thing he could do now was wait. For what, he did not know.

Chameleon had returned to the make-shift control room in Pendragon's mansion. He was happy to find that all of the monitoring equipment was in full working order.

He sat down in the chair to begin his duties, and started checking the scanners. He noticed immediately that a large craft had left Sylvania, and was heading or an orbital position around Earth. He checked with the computer. The craft had just left Earth's atmosphere. When the computer confirmed this, he contacted Magus.

On board the Dalek ship, Captain Shield was getting very angry.

"I don't believe this." he said. "Are you telling me that you are going to try and capture mythical monster? This is madness! It is impossible! The Loch Ness Monster does not exist!"

"As a scientist, you should know that nothing is impossible." said Saruman. "The life-scanners on this vessel show that there s life deep within the waters of Loch Ness."

"And you believe these 'walking cans?'" asked Shield.

"The technology of these 'walking cans' surpasses your own, Captain." said Saruman. "You must remember one thing, though. If it were not for me, you and your comrades would be rotting in some hi-tech Russian prison cell!"

Then, one of the lead Daleks, Red-4, came over to Saruman.

"Orbit has been attained." he said.

A few minutes later, Saruman and Captain Shield boarded the Nightmares' aircraft. Captain Shield took his place in the pilot's chair.

"I still think this is impossible." he said.

"Have faith, Captain." said Saruman. "Just start your engines."

Shield started the jet engines of the black aircraft. The docking bay door of the Dalek space craft opened. Saruman closed his eyes. He was now deep in concentration. A look of doubt appeared on Captain Shield's face, as he manoeuvred the aircraft to the exit. Then, as the aircraft left the docking bay, a yellow force-field covered it.

"I'm seeing it, but I'm not believing it!" Shield muttered.

A rye smile appeared on Saruman's face. The aircraft entered the Earth's atmosphere without incident. Within the next few minutes the aircraft was in British airspace.

Saruman opened his eyes, and turned to Captain Shield.

"Well, Captain." he said. "Maybe now you will not doubt me!"

"Magic and science often find it difficult to exist together." said Shield. "Maybe with more work we can combine the two."

"Enough." said Saruman. "When you get to Loch Ness, hold your aircraft twenty feet above the water."

Five minutes passed. Connor McCloud sat around a small fire in the hills surrounding Loch Ness. He was about to prepare some food when he looked up into the sky and saw the huge black aircraft that belonged to the Nightmares. As soon as he saw the aircraft he leapt to his feet, and ran over to his ruck sack. He searched through the bag until he found what he was looking for. A sword, a valuable sword that had been made in Japan over five hundred years ago. The sword had been given to him by his old friend, Ramirez. As soon as he had found his sword, he ran as fast as he could, down the hills to the shore of Loch Ness. By the time the Nightmares' aircraft was hovering above the water. McCloud was looking up at it. The side hatch of the aircraft opened. McCloud was shocked when he saw Saruman appear in the hatchway. When McCloud saw this, he rushed back up into the hills. He now stood higher than the aircraft. Saruman continued his search. Then, to Captain Shield's surprise, he found something. Saruman had found what most people thought did not exist. He had found the Loch Ness Monster.

Connor McCloud had reached the top of the hill. He then began to run, gradually getting faster and faster. Then, he launched himself into the air with a mighty leap, toward the Nightmare's aircraft. Within seconds, McCloud landed on top of the aircraft. The aircraft shuddered with the impact. McCloud then swung down into the aircraft, kicking Saruman in the chest and knocking him to the floor.

"Shield!" cried Saruman. "Deal with him!"

Shield put the aircraft on automatic pilot, and rushed to Saruman's aid. He hurled his shield at McCloud, and knocked him off his feet. Shield then moved toward him, but McCloud kicked him in the stomach. Shield was sent reeling, and McCloud tried to plant his sword into the Russian. He just managed to raise his shield in time. As this battle took place, Saruman started his work once again. The water of the loch began to swirl about. Then, a whirlpool began to start in the dead centre of the loch. Then a monstrous head appeared above the water. The head was followed by a long neck, and then a huge, turtle-like body. The Loch Ness Monster had been found, and soon, he would be under Saruman's control.

"Shield!" Saruman shouted. "I have the monster. Deal with the intruder!"

"He is too much for me!" Shield screamed.

Saruman raised his hand, and McCloud slumped to the ground.

"Head to the mid-Atlantic." Saruman ordered.

The monster hung in mid-air, then a huge amount of water from the loch floated out of the lake, and formed itself into a cube-like shape around the monster. Shield then steered the aircraft toward the Atlantic Ocean. Saruman walked over to the fallen McCloud.

"This man looks familiar." he said. "Perhaps I have encountered this man before."

Carfax Abbey, near Whitby in Yorkshire. In the cellar of the house stood it's former occupant, Count Vladimir Dracula. Chained in a hastily rigged cell was Lawrence Talbot, in an open crate beside the cell was the body of the Frankenstein monster. Dracula had Mother Nature and Dr. Theophilus with him.

"Tell me, Theophilus, you can trigger Talbot's transformations, can't you?"

Theophilus nodded. He pressed his fingers to his temples. With a cry of pain Talbot became the wolf man.

"It is a simple process." sneered Theophilus. "I merely have to stimulate certain centres of his brain."

He gazed down into the open crate.

"We can do nothing to revive this creature until we have the equipment we need."

"Where can we obtain such equipment?" asked Dracula.

Theophilus looked grave.

"There is our problem." said Theophilus. "The only suitable equipment is at Craigmillar Castle."

The pallid face of the vampire broke into an unholy smile.

"That is our purpose! We are going to occupy Magus elsewhere while Saruman steals the secrets of Craigmillar Castle!"

Twenty minutes passed before the Nightmares' aircraft reached the mid-Atlantic. Once it did, the aircraft again hovered twenty feet above the lashing waves. The Loch Ness Monster was still encased in a 'cube' of water.

"Message from Red-4." said Shield. "Ebirah is near our position."

"And he shall soon be joined by this monster." said Saruman. "Now silence. I must have complete concentration.

Saruman opened the side hatchway of the aircraft. He peered down to his capture. He placed his hand on his temple, and closed his eyes. Slowly, the 'cube' containing the monster began to lower itself into the water. Within a minute, the monster was in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Now go!" boomed Saruman. "Join Ebirah! Journey to Atlantis! Destroy it!"

Saruman closed the hatchway, and joined Shield in the cockpit.

My plans are going well, Captain." he said. "Atlantis will soon be destroyed, I have a prisoner, and the most powerful cavourite source in the world will soon be mine!"

Magus was seated in his study at Craigmillar when his telephone rang.

"Solo here, Magus. You're help's needed here!"

Soon Magus and Magician were standing in a morgue in York. On the slab before them lay two young women.

"I know you're a qualified doctor as well as a wizard. What do you think?"

Adjusting his spectacles, Magus examined the bodies.

"No blood at all." he said grimly. "And two small puncture marks in the neck. I think we know where Dracula is."

"I'll have Carfax Abbey sealed off." said Solo.

Magus shook his head.

"Too dangerous. I the meantime I must deal with this threat."

He turned to Magician.

"Fetch me two wooden stakes, a mallet and an axe."

As the youngster left Magus produced two cloves of garlic from his pocket. He inserted one into the mouths of each body. Then, Magician returned with the mallet and the axe, but no stakes. Magus moved out into the corridor and broke two legs from a table. He sharpened them to a point with the axe. Posing one above the heart of the first body, he raised the mallet and brought it down with a strength that bellied his appeared. The body sat up, impaled on the stake, and let out a hideous yell. Another blow of the mallet smashed it back to the table. Magus moved to the other, and went through the same process. Then, taking the axe, he raised it over the neck of one of the bodies.

"Get thee to hell!" he cried. "May thou foul carcase be food and jackals and thy blood drink for pariah dogs!"

Paul Solo stood in one corner, his face ashen. Magician stood, grim faced.

"Was that necessary?" asked Solo.

Magus turned a grim face towards the policeman.

"It was. It will be again. Saruman has set one of the most evil creatures ever known loose in this country. Of all those in our alliance he knows only I have knowledge of vampires. He wants me out of his way, out of Craigmillar."

Even as Magus spoke, the Nightmares had retuned with Saruman to Scotland. They gazed up at the great building that was Craigmillar.

"How do we get in?" asked Captain Shield.

"We will see." said Saruman.

He walked to the door and hammered on it. As it swung open a huge figure stood in the great doorway.

"Yes?" it said in a voice which shook the ground.

"You are Igor, Magus' butler?" asked Saruman.

Igor nodded. It was the last thing he did before Saruman struck him down with a brain blast. The two walked into the castle. Magus' laboratory was soon located, and the equipment they needed was soon removed. Then, Saruman found a door he could not open, for it was locked mystically. Gradually, he opened the two. Within stood two wolves and two tigers, unearthly red fire glowing in their eyes. Sensing that these were creatures he could not battle, he fled back to where Shield was waiting.

"Me must return to the Dalek ship!" he cried. "Let us be gone!"

Magus, Magician and Solo sat in the office of the Chief Constable of Yorkshire, Sir James MacKay.

"Tell me, Doctor." said MacKay. "You want us to trace someone by the name of Van Helsing?"

Magus nodded.

"It may sound incredible, Sir James, but you have the greatest of vampires on your 'patch' as it were. I cannot possibly be in all places at all times to deal with this threat. Van Helsing is the only other man in this country who could possibly help."

MacKay picked up the telephone. Soon, the police computers were trying to trace a Hugo Van Helsing. They were in luck. MacKay returned to the office.

"We've traced Hugo Van Helsing. He's teaching biology at a small private school in Cornwall."

Magus leaped up.

"It is there we must go!"

Just as he rose the telephone rang. MacKay answered.

"It's for you." he said, passing the phone to Magus.

"It is me, Igor, sir." said a deep voice at the other end of the line. "Saruman the White has paid us a visit."

"What did he take?"

"Only the equipment from your laboratory. He could not get into your study."

"The lab equipment is still enough." replied Magus.

He hung up.

"We will soon have the Frankenstein monster to deal with as well. We must act now!"

The Dalek space ship arrived back in Sylvania. The entrance to the ship opened, and three Daleks, led by Red-4, exited the ship. They were soon followed by Death Angel, who was carrying the Highlander across his shoulder. Saruman followed them out of the ship. He was closely followed by Captain Shield.

"Take him to the dungeon." Saruman ordered. "I will deal with him later."

Saruman waited for Shield to catch up with him.

"Do you still doubt me, Captain?" he asked.

"I still have some." Shield replied. "But I have a feeling they will soon be gone."

"Good." said Saruman. "Now, follow me. Your scientific knowledge will soon be used."

Shield followed Saruman down a long, dark corridor. They soon came to a huge door. Saruman opened the door. A lighted torch provided very little light, but Shield could tell he was standing at the top of a very high stairway. Saruman then reached up for a huge electrical switch. He pulled the switch down, and the room was filled with light.

"I have never been in this room before." said Shield.

"It will soon become your laboratory." said Saruman. "Magus' equipment will soon be installed, under your supervision. The Frankenstein monster will soon be awake. Now, firstly, we will deal with our prisoner."

The two men left the room, and soon entered the bowls of the castle, the dungeon. The dungeon was very damp and cold, and the lighting was poor. A stench of rotting flesh filled the air. They walked over to a large table. The Highlander had been placed on this table.

"Every man has a weakness." said Saruman. "Whether they have special powers or not."

Saruman placed his hand on the Highlander's hand. He began to probe his mind, getting deep into his thoughts and memories.

"Such memories!" Saruman said. "There is no way this man can be that old! His memories date back to the fifteenth century! Take this one to my private laboratory. I must study this man more!"

Two orcs came and dragged the Highlander from the table.

"I will now attend to the next stage of my plan." said Saruman. "The destruction of Atlantis!"

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Dakota, U.S.A. In a secret bunker an unprecedented meeting was taking place. On one side of the table sat Hector McQueen, President of the U.S.A., Julius Schwarz, his Defence Secretary, and Oliver Schmidt, the Secretary of State. Opposite sat His Holiness the Nosferatu, leader of the planet Monstron. McQueen could not believe what he had been told.

"You are telling me that you want the Frankenstein creature?"

The Nosferatu nodded.

"What you must consider, Mr. President, is that not all intelligent life follows your pattern."

At this McQueen gave a grim chuckle.

"On my homeworld the creature is revered as a god!"

"And you mean to tell me." replied McQueen. "That the body of the creature was stolen from you."

"It was not stolen, sir." replied the Nosferatu. "Your history was altered so we never took it.

Schwartz leaned forward.

"Do you mean that your history was altered too?"

The Nosferatu nodded.

"The actions of Saruman, taken unwisely, have created a momentary paradox in the universe. History and the future have been altered. The present will not remain long as it is. Once the two waves of time alteration meet he will have won!"

Taking their leave of the Nosferatu, the three Americans went into a side room.

"Do you believe this guy?" asked Schwartz.

McQueen nodded.

"Our agencies vouch for him. Get me Simon Harkes on the hot line."

Simon Harkes had been told what was going on. He made an urgent call to Pendragon's mansion. Burns answered.

"Get me Magus!"

"Not possible, sir." said Burns. "Things are moving very gently. Magus is trying to contain an outbreak of vampirism."

An angry looked crossed Harkes' face.

"Damn it, why am I not told of these things?"

Then, as he calmed down.

"We've news from the U.S. Saruman the White has been causing problems with his portals. He has disrupted the time flow."

"I'm only a zoologist sir, so I don't fully understand everything to do with time. What is the main problem?"

Harkes relayed the information to Burns.

Burns decided to act. With him at the time were Woodwose, Changer and White Knight. Swiftly, he outlined his plans.

"You're mad!" cried Changer. "Use Dr. Morbius' time machine?"

"Think of it as an experiment. If we can return Kong to New York, circa 1932, then there's nothing to stop us!"

The mid-Atlantic Ocean. Far beneath the lashing waves of the Earth's ocean lay the domed city of Atlantis. A city that had remained mainly unchanged over the past hundred years.

A meeting of the High Council of Atlantis was taking place. At the head of the huge table sat the leader of the Atlantean people, Prince Poseidon. Leaders of the various regions sat around the table.

"The world is in grave danger." said Poseidon. "The threat of Saruman the White is too great for us to ignore."

"What can we do?" said Jugar, leader of the Northern Province. "Saruman is only attacking the air breathers. He is not bothering us."

"But he will." said Aldair, the Southern leader. "Saruman wants to take the world for his own. He will not stop at the continents. He will seek out all resistance, no matter how small, and destroy it."

"Saruman will not attack us if we do not provoke him." said Jugar.

"The decision is not ours to make, Jugar." said Aldair. "We can only advise. I advise that we seek contact with Dr. Magus. He has gathered a mighty force above. With our assistance, we may be able to change the balance of power."

"I say we make no move." said Jugar. "Most of the world does not know of our existence. The other parts do not care. Maybe Saruman does not know of us!"

Poseidon sprang to his feet, and thumped the table.

"You are a blind fool, Jugar." he said. "Saruman is very powerful. I have not seen the likes of his forces since the last war. The Nazis knew of us then, and I assisted Magus in his efforts against the Third Reich. I assisted Anglo-Force through the fifties. If we stand by and do nothing, we invite destruction. As Aldair pointed out, the decision is mine. We assist Magus and his allies."

Whitby, Yorkshire. Hugo Van Helsing and Dr. Magus stood before Carfax Abbey. It was a cold, moonless night. Van Helsing looked up the building.

"I never thought to see this place myself."

Magus managed a grim smile.

"Come, we must enter."

He raised his cane, illuminating the scene with a red, cavourite glow. They moved down into the crypt below.

"They have gone." said Magus. "And I fear that they have taken the Frankenstein monster with him."

He gestured at an empty case.

"Do we have any idea where?" asked Van Helsing.

At that moment, Magician materialized.

"We have further information, Doctor." he said. "The Monstrons have come to claim the creature."

Swiftly, Magician relayed the information from McQueen to his mentor.

"This may be the information we need. Return to Craigmillar, Thomas. Make arrangements with the Monstrons to meet us at York Minster."

As the apprentice left Van Helsing looked at Magus.

"York Minster is holy ground. He cannot walk there."

"I beg to differ, Hugo." said Magus. "Today is Lammas Day, is it not? On this night the forces of darkness are exalted, and as Dracula is above most of his kind he will dare to trespass there, for in York Minster is concealed one of the three holy artefacts that can slay Saruman. I believe that is where the three creatures who were here have gone."

Granamyr stood outside, waiting. Then, as the two climbed aboard he leapt into the air.

York Minster was soon in view. In the cathedral precincts stood a small Monstron shuttle. A young pilot walked over to them.

"I am Commander Karloff, Doctor. We have agreed with your masters that the creature be handed over to us."

If all goes well I will be able to give you three guests!" replied Magus.

Closely followed by Van Helsing they strode into the cathedral. A gruesome snarl broke through the darkness.

"I sense they are all here." said Magus. "Hugo, go out and inform the Monstrons."

Van Helsing left. Once he had gone Magus sealed the door from within.

"You may come out now, Count." he called.

From the shadows stepped Count Dracula. They made a strange sight; the tall, thin elegant Count and the short, ancient wizard.

"We meet again, Magus." sneered the vampire. "You have followed me, dogged me. Tonight it shall end."

As Magus stood two strong hands gripped him by the shoulders. Looking over his shoulder he could see the creature behind him. Returning his gaze to the vampire a slow smile stole over his face. Then, to the creature's amazement Magus was no longer there.

"You surprise me, Vladimir!" he cried from his new position in front of the alter. "You profess a dislike of my kind, and yet I find you in league with Saruman."

"He promised me your death!" snarled Dracula.

He advanced upon Magus. The wizard moved to one side revealing the cross on the alter. Dracula reeled back. Then the Wolf man leapt to the attack. Magus froze him in mid-air. Then his voice boomed out, echoing around York Minster.

"Listen to me, Dracula. For centuries you and your companions her have been feared and reviled by mankind. Now you are being used by Saruman. I can end all this."

"What do you mean?" asked Dracula.

"On Earth you are feared. On another world you are revered."

As Dracula stepped forwards Magus could see a change in his attitude.

"What must I do?"

"I must reverse the process which brought you here. I have already sent the Monstrons to meet you there."

"Then do it!" cried the vampire.

Magus created a portal. He sent his three adversaries through.

Late nineteenth century, Vasaria. As the Frankenstein creature stood on the burning church two portals appeared. Through one Commander Karloff led the creature to it's new life. The second portal took nothing.

Transylvania. A portal opened. Dracula stepped out. For a few seconds he and his past self stood, staring at each other. They merged. Then once more Karloff appeared and led the vampire to a new life. The same happened with Lawrence Talbot.

Magus stood alone in York Minster. Then a thought occurred to him. He opened a portal and stepped through.

He reappeared in the crypt of Castle Dracula. Then another portal appeared. Saruman stepped out. Magus reached out and blasted his foe back through the portal. As he fell back through he dropped his staff. Magus seized it and smashed it.

"Our first real success!" he smiled, as he returned to his own time.

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

A meeting of the United Nations Security Council had been called to discuss the global situation. As was customary, the Iraqi delegation disagreed with every idea the Americans came up with. Many ideas were toyed with. The idea that most of the council agreed with was that forces would be gathered near the Sylvanian-Latvian border. The council voted on this motion. Apart from Iraq, all were in favour of this motion.

One particular observer of this meeting was horrified when he had heard the result of the vote. The observer was Prince T'Chuka of Voltania. He leapt up from his chair in the press room, and ran into the chamber.

"You can't do this!" he cried. "It's slaughter!"

"Throw him out of here!" shouted the U.S. ambassador.

"Wait!" said the British representative. "Let him speak."

"I know Voltania has no place on the Security Council." said T'Chuka. "But sending a multi-national military force to Sylvania would be futile, and result in their deaths."

"What do you mean?" asked the Englishman.

"As you know, a super-powered force, which includes myself, has been assembled." said T'Chuka. "Let us take care of this situation."

"There's only about twenty of you." said the American. "How can you make a difference?"

"We can." T'Chuka replied. "And we'll prove it. Give us four weeks. If we can't do anything by that time, then send in your forces."

The council took a vote.

"You have your four weeks." said the Englishman. "I just hope that you and your allies will be able to do something."

As T'Chuka left the chamber Magus met him outside.

"They have given us our month." said T'Chuka.

"I hope that's enough." said Magus. "It must be."

He broke into a smile.

"Of course, the task will be easier now. Saruman does not have his staff! His shield will be weaker!"

"What do you mean?" asked T'Chuka.

As they left the building Magus explained.

"Wizards rely on their staves to conduct their powers. I destroyed Saruman's when he tried to recruit Dracula. Do you realise the ramifications?"

"I must admit, I don't."

"It means that in addition to using his powers to control the shield he also had to measure it's flow. This impairs his efficiency."

"Can't he just cut another?" asked T'Chuka.

They climbed into Magus' waiting Rolls Royce. Igor moved the car smoothly into traffic as Magus continued.

"It is not easy. Each wizards' staff is cut by Odin himself from Ygdrasil, the tree of knowledge. My cane is cut from there too. Saruman cannot steal one from another wizard as it will not be able to channel his energies. He has spread his net too far! Gradually control will slip away from him. We must hasten the process. A small group may be able to do it."

Around the waters of Atlantis, all was calm. The inhabitants of the underwater city had no idea what was about to happen to them. The north of Atlantis swam the huge lobster, Ebirah, and to the sough, the mighty Loch Ness Monster, readying themselves to attack the underwater citadel. One citizen of Atlantis saw one of the mighty creatures, and quickly swam back to the city to warn the others. The men and women looked on in horror as the Loch Ness Monster rammed the dome. The sea bed shook each time. The monster continued it's attack, and each time, it seemed to have some success. Then, Ebirah began to do likewise, attacking from the other side. When this began, rubble from the buildings inside the dome began to fall to the ground. As this happened. Prince Poseidon ran into the city square. He was soon joined by Aldair.

"It is as I said." said Aldair. "Saruman is attacking us!"

"Quickly." said Poseidon. "We must try to hold off their attack."

The two of them ran to a special airlock, and soon departed the city, and swam toward the two monsters, who were now focusing on the same point. Aldair was the first to get near Ebirah. He reared back, and unleashed a mighty blow. It had no effect on the giant lobster. Aldair tried again, and again, no effect.

"It's useless." cried Poseidon. "One man will have no effect."

Aldair knew what his leader meant. The two of them reared back, and struck Ebirah again. This time, they got his attention. The monster looked around, and swung his mighty claw at the two Atlanteans, sending them 'flying' through the water. When he regained his senses, Poseidon placed his hands on his temples. He tried to establish a mental link with Ebirah. For a few minutes, he tried, but nothing happened. It was as if a strange force were protecting him. It seemed that all would be lost.

While this had been going on, Aldair had called in reinforcements. He swam toward Poseidon, a huge shark not far behind him. The shark swam nearer Ebirah. Then, a glow enveloped the shark, and within a matter of seconds, the shark had changed, into what seemed like Godzilla. It was, in fact, Changer.

Changer brought up his huge 'paw' and smashed it against Ebirah's back. The giant lobster was confused. He thought Godzilla had been captured. He swung his mighty claw at Changer, but the young mutant managed to avoid the blow. Changer retaliated with another blow, this time to Ebirah's head. He then grabbed hold of the lobster's claw, and got another hand to Ebirah's head. He then tossed Ebirah away from the dome. Changer then found himself attacked from behind by the Loch Ness Monster. This attack surprised Changer. Then, Poseidon and Aldair went to join the battle. Just as they were going to aid Changer against the Loch Ness Monster, an axe went flying past them, and embedded itself in the monster's back. The monster let out a huge cry of pain. Poseidon looked behind to see a wet suit wearing Axe Kid coming up from behind. The attack on the monster allowed Changer to throw him off. Then, he changed back into a shark and swam after Ebirah and the monster. He was closely followed by Poseidon and Aldair.

As the two monsters fled a huge net appeared before them. Poseidon, Axe Kid and the others arrived just in time to see Magician and Johangas Khan transporting the monsters back to their homes in a mystic net.

For the first time since Saruman had gathered his forces they could see light at the end of the tunnel. Harkes called a meeting with the alliance leaders. Soon Harkes was aware of the position.

"Well, we can expect you to finish this matter in the four weeks specified by Prince T'Chuka."

Magus smiled quietly. White Knight was more voluble.

"We've received reports that Saruman has taken a prisoner." he said. "Someone who tried to stop him from taking the Loch Ness Monster."

"Who is this man?" asked Harkes.

"I have only a surname." said White Knight. "McCloud!"

"Better known as the Highlander." said Magus. "The leader of the original Anglo-Force."

Then, Magus leaned toward Harkes, fixing him with a firm gaze.

"I want Russell Nash pardoned for an alleged crime. You have the influence, Harkes. Do it."

Harkes spluttered.

"What has Russell Nash got to do with anything?"

"Russell Nash and Connor McCloud are one and the same." said Magus. "There is a file at G.C.H.Q., Q7491, which will clear him. It was sealed in 1955. Do it."

Harkes was strangely surprised to find that he agreed with Magus.

"What about Kong and the pilot?" asked Harkes.

The telephone rang. A secretary answered.

"It's for you, Dr. Magus. Another Doctor, I believe!"

Magus spoke for less than a minute. Then he put the phone down.

"I must leave. Other matters call for my attention."

Before anyone could stop him, Magus vanished. He reappeared upon Craigmillar, before the castle. By the main door stood a blue police box. The door opened and a man, seemingly of the same age as Magus, stepped out.

"Dr. Magus." the figure cried.

"Dr. Who." replied Magus. "What have you discovered?"

"I have discovered several instances throughout time of Winthorns just vanishing. My last port of call was a starship, the Valkyrie, in the 24th century."

"There was a Winthorn aboard?"

"Correct. He was vanishing by the day." Dr. Who paused. "There is no trace of his bloodline after that time."

"We must assume that that is the cut off point." mused Magus.

"It is indeed serious." replied his companion. "For in the 30th century a war will be fought which rages across the universe."

"And I take it that one of Winthorn's descendants averted this war?"

Dr. Who nodded.

"You must find a way to return Winthorn, and Kong too, to their correct time zone. To leave them where they are now could prove to be dangerous."

"Then we must act quickly. Winthorn's body is due to be cremated. We must reclaim it."

They entered the Tardis, which took them to the London crematorium.

"We are looking for the body of Winthorn." said Magus.

"I'm sorry, sir. But it's been cremated. His niece, Miss Le Fey, made the arrangements."

"That is it, then." said Dr. Who. "All is lost."

"Not yet." said Magus. "I can restore him if I can get his ashes. It will be risky, but it may work."

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

On the edge of the galaxy known as the Milky Way, a huge starship entered the star system. The likes of this space vessel would not be seen in this part of the galaxy for at least another hundred years. But this vessel was from a galaxy over a thousand light years away. It had travelled for what seemed like an eternity, It's destination was the planet Earth. The reason for it's journey; conflict, to cause death. The inhabitants of this vessel lived for conflict, for war. A war on Earth was about to happen. This pleased them, for they wished to join this war, just for sheer pleasure. They would reach Earth very soon.

Magus sat in his library, preparing for his ordeal. Thomas Leacock sat, watching. Magus was reading from the book of Ybo.

"I've never seen that book before." said Thomas.

Magus gazed solemnly at him over his spectacles.

"This book is not one I should like you to read. I have used it once before. I swore then I would never use it again. Now I find I must, to set history and the future right."

He found the spell he sought.

"I must locate Morgana Le Fey. I need the remains of Winthorn."

Saruman sat in his throne room. Morgana entered.

"What have you done with Winthorn's remains?" he asked.

"I have them in a safe place." replied Morgana.

"Destroy them." Saruman snarled. "There is one spell which Magus can use to overthrow our plans."

"If you mean invoking the spirit of Ybo you need not worry. Magus would not dare use it. The only way to cast Ybo back into the void is to quote the last line of the Saamaac ritual; he would risk his own life."

As they spoke, Davros entered the throne room.

"What do you want?" Saruman snapped.

"I bring news of the prisoner." said Davros.

"McCloud?" said Saruman. "Go on."

"You were correct about him." said Davros. "He is from another galaxy, and on this world he can only be killed one way. Decapitation."

"You mean he is the Highlander?" said Saruman.

"Yes." Davros replied. "He is the last of his kind on this world. Yet there are many more like him. What should I do with him?"

"Put him in the dungeon." Saruman ordered. "I have a feeling we will soon receive a visit from his former comrades, unless they are occupied elsewhere.

"What do you mean?" asked Morgana.

"I mean the next stage of my plan, woman!" Saruman snorted. "They may soon be making their way to the Kremlin!"

A few hours after sunset, Saruman strode into his courtyard, where hundreds orcs had gathered. Saruman made his way onto a platform, and spoke.

"My army!" he boomed. "The time has come for you to take your place in my grand design! Soon, one of this world's largest cities will be under my control. Go! Journey to the city of Moscow! Take it! Take it for Saruman the White! Take it for the Brotherhood!"

The cries and cheers of hundreds of orcs filled the air, and could be heard for miles around, and soon the orcs started their journey to Russia. A journey of nearly two thousand miles would take them just a few days on foot.

As Saruman spoke to his hordes or orcs, the spaceship that had entered the galaxy mere hours earlier was near the planet Earth. Within the next hour, the vessel would be in orbit, and soon, the vessel's inhabitants would involve themselves in the war between Saruman's Brotherhood and Anglo-Force.

With Magus having returned to Craigmillar Castle, this left Mr. X in charge of the force. He sat in the study at Pendragon's mansion, when Lug walked in. H noticed the solemn look on Mr. X's face.

"What ails you, friend?" he asked.

"I'm just thinking about what's happened during the past few months, since Paul brought us together." Mr. X replied. "Can we really get out of this thing in one piece? We've already lost one member, indirectly, because of this. And now one of Magus' old friends may be killed."

Lug placed his hand on Mr. X's shoulder.

"Fear not, my friend." he said. "Magus is wise. With him leading us, we will triumph!"

As the two of them spoke, Burns walked in.

"Are Magus and Leacock back yet?" he asked. "I've just heard from someone we've been in contact with."

"No sign of him." replied Mr. X.

Two hours later, Magus and Leacock returned to the mansion. They did not return using their usual method of transportation.

"Helicopter?" queried Mr. X. "Why the hell did you return by helicopter?"

"Because I must conserve my mystical energy." Magus replied. "And young Thomas has yet to perfect the art of teleportation. Is Francis her?"

As Magus spoke, Burns walked into the library.

"Has he contacted you?" asked Magus.

"A few hours ago." Burns replied. "And he has given permission for both things."

"What are you talking about?" asked Mr. X. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to call a meeting." said Magus.

Half an hour later, the entire force gathered in the library. Magus stood near the fire place.

"Gentlemen." he said. "At midnight tonight, we will be setting up a base of operations in northern Vasaria."

"What?" shouted Star Man. "Are you crazy? Take root in the region owned by a mad man, Dr. Morbius?"

"I have known Hans Morbius for many years." said Magus. "He is not bothered by Saruman the White. He may be a bit eccentric, but he has what we need. A temporary headquarters, and a time machine."

"I'm not sure about this." said Woodwose.

"We have no choice." said Magus. "We have two important missions. We must rescue Connor McCloud, and recover Captain Winthorn's remains. Northern Vasaria is less than a thousand miles away from Sylvania. Having a base in eastern Europe is now vital at this stage. Transport planes are being gathered at Heathrow as I speak. We leave at midnight."

At 11.30pm, they made their way to Heathrow Airport. They went straight to Runway Seven, where a Concorde stood, waiting for them. It was being fuelled up as they landed on the tarmac. The flight engineers soon completed their preparations, and soon left the runway. As they were about to board the plane, Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman greeted them.

"How many people know of this?" asked Magus.

"Just your group, the P.M., and myself." Sir Angus replied. "We knew that you had two qualified pilots in your group, so we didn't provide you with one. I don't like this Magus. Hans Morbius is too…unpredictable!"

"Not too unpredictable enough to know the current situation." said Magus. "And with him currently being on speaking terms with the U.N., he was the perfect choice."

"It's your decision." said Sir Angus. "Good luck."

Soon, all were aboard the Concorde. A special section had been made for Galador, White Knight's winged steed. No contact was made with the control tower. The Concorde was soon on it's way to northern Vasaria.

Unconfirmed reports flooded in to news agencies around the world. Reports of a horde of hideous monsters rampaging through Latvia. Saruman's orcs were journeying well.

Saruman, too, was active. He walked into the dungeons of his castle. He walked into a large room. His first sight was that of an orc about to turn a huge wheel.

"Wait!" Saruman ordered. "You had instructions not to harm this man!"

The orc cowered, then quickly ran way. Saruman walked over to an old piece of torturing equipment, the rack. On the rack the orcs had placed Connor McCloud. Two more orcs stood at the head of the rack. Saruman waved them away. He then walked closer to the table.

"Greetings, Highlander." he said. "I wonder what the authorities would do to you if I handed you over. After all, they've been searching for you for over forty years."

"You should know me by now, Saruman." said McCloud. "After all, we first met over two hundred years ago."

"I do not recall this." said Saruman.

"Paris, 1773." said McCloud. "If I recall, you were 'checking' to see if this world was ready for you."

"Ah, yes." said Saruman. "I do recall someone who looked like you. You were, uninteresting."

"Then why take a special interest in me now?" asked McCloud.

"Because you and I are alike." replied Saruman. "We are not of this world. And you hold secrets that may be useful to me."

"I'd rather die first." spit McCloud.

"It matters not." said Saruman. "I can still obtain your planet's secrets, even if you are dead."

Saruman signalled for the orcs to return.

"You may continue." he said.

As Saruman left the chamber, the screams of Connor McCloud filled the dungeon.

The journey on Concorde to Vasaria took about three hours. They landed at Dr. Morbius' private airport. As they disembarked, they were greeted by the 'owner' of northern Vasaria.

"Greetings to you. Magus." said Morbius.

Magus walked over to Morbius.

"Is everything arranged?" Magus asked.

"It is." replied Morbius. "All of my staff and family have taken a short holiday. The region is yours."

Burns walked over.

"What about the time machine?" he asked.

"It is in my home." said Morbius. "The enhancements have been made by myself."

"Good." said Magus. "Your home will be our headquarters. I will prepare myself there."

"Then I will leave." said Morbius. "We agreed, if you remember, that I will not involve myself in any actual conflict."

Morbius turned round, and strode away.

"It gives me the creeps just to be near that guy." said Mr. X.

"But he may have given us hope." said Magus. "Now, to his home."

Magus, Burns and Mr. X entered the large building, and made their way to the library. Burns walked over to the large desk in the centre of the room, where he noticed something.

"It's a map!" he said. "A map of Sylvania!"

Mr. X joined Burns.

"It's a fairly recent map, by the looks of it." said Mr. X "But how come? I thought nothing had been heard from Sylvania for over a century!"

Then, Burns noticed an envelope, addressed to Magus. Burns handed it to him. Magus opened it, and after reading it, he smiled.

"What is it?" Burns asked.

"The map was drawn with help from an American spy satellite." said Magus. "It seems that Dr. Morbius pulled a few strings for us!"

"But I thought…" started Mr. X.

"He said he would not involve himself in any conflict." said Magus. "This is not conflict. He's merely, like he said, pulled a few strings. This map will be a great help."

Magus spent the next few hours studying the map, familiarising himself. He noticed something odd; an absence of towns, villages, cities even. He wondered what had happened to them.

As he studied the map, Star Man, White Knight and Woodwose walked in.

"What is it?" asked Magus.

"We'd like to know when we're going to Sylvania, to go after your old friend." said White Knight.

"What?" said Magus. "Just you three against Saruman's hordes? Impossible."

"We can't just sit around here." said Woodwose.

"There are two things that must be recovered from Saruman's fortress." said Magus. "Connor McCloud, and Captain Winthorn's remains. To send you three alone would not be prudent."

Burns then came into the room.

"A strange aircraft is approaching, Phineas." he said. "And it is friendly!"

"Poseidon has arrived!" said Magus. "Come!"

Magus quickly left the chamber, and walked outside. As he left the building, he saw Poseidon and Jock Muir leaving an Atlantean aqua-plane. Magus greeted his former comrade.

"I'm glad you could join us." said Magus.

"Stingray has some news for you." said Poseidon.

"N.A.S.A. has reported strange radar readings." said Muir. "A vessel is orbiting Earth above Moscow."

"The Dalek ship?" queried Magus.

"No." said Muir. "The Daleks are stationed near America. This is another, much larger vessel."

"Good." said Magus. "Keep in touch with your contact."

"No need." said Muir.

Muir lead Magus into the aqua-plane.

"As you can see. " he said. "I've got all the equipment I need here."

Sophisticated electronic equipment lined the walls of the aircraft.

"As always, Jock, you have outdone yourself." said Magus.

Muir re-entered the aqua-plane, and sat himself in front of the main screen. After entering a few things into the computer, he noticed something odd. He called Magus.

"Will you look at that!" said Muir, pointing to the screen. "A huge crowd has just entered Russia."

"What do you mean?" asked Magus. "I can't tell a bloody thing from this computer screen!"

"I'm saying that a group of about two thousand people have just entered Russia, on foot, by the looks of it." said Muir. "And with this stuff, I can tell you where they came from!"

Muir went over to another computer, and keyed in some digits.

"Would you believe me if I told you they were from Sylvania?" said Muir. "And if I told you that they showed no human life signs?"

"Orcs perhaps." said Magus. "Can you tell where they are heading?"

"I'm no miracle worker!" said Muir. "Can't you?"

"Alas, not at this moment." said Magus. "If my calculations are correct, and if they are orcs, by the time my students get to them, they should be about thirty miles from Moscow."

"Your students?" said Star Man. "You can't send boys to do men's work!"

"But the men will be otherwise engaged." said Magus. "My students will only be there to watch them."

Within the hour, the Warriors, Magician, Axe Kid, Lightning Kid, Cosmic Kid, Changer and Marvel Boy left Vasaria.

"You must remember our orders." said Magician. "We are not to engage the orcs, of they are orcs."

"So we've just got to watch them destroy Moscow?" asked Lightning Kid.

"Those are our orders." said Magician.

"I do question whether these orders are wise." said Cosmic Kid. "Our main aim as a group is to protect the innocent. How can we do so if we cannot engage their attackers?"

"I know what you mean." said Magician. "But we must follow our orders."

The conversation did not continue. The Warriors continued on their journey.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Magus' calculations were off slightly, probably because his mind was on other things. The Warriors had reached the point they were told to go to by Magus. They expected to see hordes of rampaging orcs. Instead, all they saw were footprints. Magician stood over the tracks.

"I've never known Dr. Magus to be wrong before." he said.

Axe Kid kneeled next to the tracks, and touched them.

"There have been orcs here." he said. "But that was hours ago!"

"Could Mr. Muir's equipment be faulty?" Magician asked.

"It is possible." said Cosmic Kid. "But it is also possible that the equipment has been fooled by an outside source."

As they spoke, Changer, Lightning Kid and Marvel Boy came rushing back.

"We've found something in the forests about thirteen miles from here." said Changer. "I just hope you've got a strong stomach, because it's not a pretty sight."

"Axe Kid, Changer, Marvel Boy, you three stay here." ordered Magician. "Lightning Kid, Cosmic Kid, you're with me."

The three youngsters took to the air. Within a few minutes, they were at the point Changer had told them about. As they landed, Magician put his hand over his mouth to try and stop himself from vomiting. As Changer had said, the sight was not a pretty one. Six orcs hung upside down from the trees. All of them had been skinned. All of them were dead.

Magician quickly turned away. The sight was too much for his stomach. Lightning Kid kept an eye on him as Cosmic Kid walked over to the corpses.

"Interesting." he said.

"How so?" coughed Magician.

"No animal on Earth could have done this." Cosmic Kid replied. "Not even your rhino or elephant could withstand an attack from one orc."

"What do you mean?" asked Magician.

"I've seen something similar on my own world." replied Cosmic Kid. "In the last days of the Talician Wars, many soldiers were killed in this manner. But I can't be sure this was the same attackers. But I can tell you this; we must be extremely careful.

Axe Kid, Changer and Marvel Boy soon joined them.

"Anything else?" Magician asked.

"I can't tell a thing." replied Axe Kid.

"We'd better follow this trail then." said Magician.

Soon, they reached the main road, south of Moscow, that led to the city. The road was chaos. Nearly fifty vehicles, be it cars, lorry or motor cycles, were speeding out of Moscow. Naturally, with that many vehicles travelling at such high speeds, accidents happened.

"What the hell is going on here?" asked Marvel Boy.

"Look!" cried Axe Kid, pointing to Moscow.

Heavy black smoke billowed out of Moscow's city centre. Quickly, they flew to Moscow. The streets resembled a battle grounds. The bodies of innocent people lay everywhere. They soon found Red Square. The smoke was coming from a fire in Lenin's tomb. In one corner of Red Square they could see almost fifty orcs, standing as if ready for combat. They all looked around shiftily, as if they were expecting an attack from anywhere. Then, the attack came. Something landed in the middle of the orcs, which sent them fleeing. Some of them flew through the air as if they were struck by an invisible man. Others were cut down by a razor sharp flying disc. Then, it seemed as if more of the invisible men attacked the orcs. The orcs are known to be mighty, if not dim, fighters. But against opponents they could not see, they were more than useless. The only thing they could see were slight 'shimmer' as if their opponents were using some sort of cloaking device.

The Warriors, having landed on the roof of the Kremlin, watched the battle.

"Is this what we are meant to observe?" asked Axe Kid. "Total carnage?"

"We have our orders." said Magician. "There is nothing we can do."

"To hell with orders!" said Lightning Kid.

"I agree." said Cosmic Kid.

Cosmic Kid pointed his hand at one of the 'empty spaces', which was attacking the orcs. There was a small explosion. A few of the orcs scurried away. As the smoke cleared, the empty space was not there anymore. Instead stood an alien-like creature, a mighty warrior. A look of horror appeared on the normally solemn face of Cosmic Kid.

"What is it?" cried Magician. "What's going on?"

"My fears are correct." said Cosmic Kid. "They are the same as those who killed my parents."

"Who?" cried Magician. "Who are they?"

"They are known as Predators." said Cosmic Kid. "They are drawn by conflict, and they live for battle!"

The Predator looked up at Cosmic Kid. He had only one thought in his mind, to destroy the one who had attacked him. Showing great agility, the Predator leapt from the ground to the Kremlin roof. Cosmic Kid looked horrified. The Predator connected with a blow to his face, which sent him flying. Axe Kid entered the fray, hurling his boomerang axe at the Predator. The native American was shocked when the alien caught the axe in mid-flight, and snapped the axe in two. Lightning Kid threw one of his lightning bolts at the Predator. Again, the alien warrior caught the bolt, and sent it flying back at the Warriors, quickly dispersing them as it hit the side of the building, causing an explosion. A telekinetic blast from Marvel Boy sent the Predator reeling slightly. The Predator raised his arm, and fired a laser blast at Marvel Boy. The blast struck Marvel Boy in the should, but he was still strong enough to send another telekinetic blast, this time aiming at the Predator's brain. The alien grasped his head, and rippled off his helmet. He let out a huge cry of pain. While this battle took place, Magician just stood and watched. He was still following Magus' orders to the letter. But there were still doubts in his mind.

The Predator was still reeling from Marvel Boy's telekinetic blast. It was then that Changer took his chance. He rushed toward the Predator, just stopping in front of him. Then, a slight glow appeared around the young Belgian, as he began to alter his form. The Predator, although quite intelligent, was now confused, because where once a young Earthman stood, now stood one like him, a Predator. Changer had altered his atoms, so he was now an exact copy of his foe. The Predator was caught off guard, as Changer connected with a blow to his mid-section. Another blow to the Predator's head left him very dazed. So dazed that he staggered around and soon lost his footing. He fell heavily off the roof, crashing into the ground below. The other Predators had been pre-occupied with their battle against Saruman's orcs, but the sight and sound of one of their number falling to the ground changed that. The orcs were confused, as their adversaries looked skywards towards the Kremlin rook. They saw the Warriors, and put two and two together.

It was then that Magician made his move. He realised that with nearly twenty Predators on the ground, the Warriors had no chance of defeating them. He raised his hands, and a small portal began to open.

"Quickly!" he shouted. "I can't hold it for long!"

As quickly as they could the Warriors stepped through the portal. After they had all gone through, Magician himself stepped through. A second later, the portal was gone. This did not please the Predators.

On the outskirts of Moscow another portal opened. A few seconds later, Axe Kid, Changer, Cosmic Kid, Lightning Kid and Marvel Boy fell to the ground with a thud. Then, Magician flew out of the portal before it closed.

"Good work, Tom!" said Lightning Kid. "You've managed to take us about five miles away from them!"

"My power is still very limited." said Magician. "And if we had followed orders, none of this would have happened!"

"No time to argue." said Marvel Boy. "Look!"

Marvel Boy pointed to the road. At least one hundred orcs were fleeing for their lives. They were followed by the twenty Predators.

"We cannot withstand another attack!" said Magician.

The young wizard raised his hand, and a shield appeared around them. Then the orcs and the Predators had passed, the shield dropped.

"So what now?" asked Marvel Boy.

"The aliens are pre-occupied with the orcs." said Magician. "We will return to Vasaria."

Magus was briefing Anglo-Force on what to expect in Sylvania.

"You may be rest assured that once you step across the border all manner of foul creatures will be seeking for you. Not only all the beings he has assembled but foul beings from the Time of Legends."

He led them to the frontier.

"Go. Return quickly."

As they stepped over Magus returned to Vasaria.

They noticed the change as soon as they crossed. It was a warm day in Latvia, in Sylvania, even though the sun shone it was as cold as ice. Mr. X stepped back into Latvia, then re-crossed the border.

"It is colder here." he said.

"We're not alone, either." said White Knight.

Two huge wolves sat, three hundred yards away, watching.

"We'd best press on. Saruman's castle is to the east."

They set out. The rocky waste of the borderlands was soon replaced by a long, straight road, through woodland.

"It's not a good idea to use this road. We'd be an easy target here." White Knight noted.

They moved into the shrubs, just in time as a Dalek patrol swept into view.

"I've an idea." hissed Watt to White Knight. "As to how we can get into the castle."

As the patrol passed Woodwose leapt out and seized one of the stragglers. With one might heave he had wrenched the Dalek in two. Hearing it's cries of distress the others moved to the rescue. White Knight carved their leader in half. Star Man, Chameleon and Mr. X soon despatched the remaining three. Watt took a quick look inside one of those which still remained intact.

"It'll be cramped, but we'll be able to fit." said Watt. "Woodwose, you'll have to be the prisoner."

Climbing into the now empty shells they headed off. The two wolves still watched.

Saruman's castle rose about the Sylvanian countryside in a similar manner to Craigmillar upon it's island. But there the similarity ended. This castle was a cheerless place. The five 'Daleks' approached the gate. Two orcs were on guard. They stood to one side to let the patrol and it's prisoner pass.

They moved into a dark courtyard and left their shells.

"What next?" asked Woodwose.

"We split up." said Mr. X. "You, Star Man and White Knight go to the dungeon, the rest of us will seek Winthorn's remains."

They divided into two. As the other group moved away, Mr. X produced a stone from his pocket.

"What is that?" asked Watt.

"A plantir. Magus gave it to me. I can only use it once to communicate with him. Now is the time."

He gazed into the stone. Magus' face soon appeared in it.

"I have consulted Winthorn's remains are being held in Morgana's chambers. You should also know that there is dissention brewing between Morgana, Saruman and Davros. We may be able to…."

The stone clouded over. The face of Magus was gone.

"That has made our task easier." said Mr. X.

Woodwose's group was making good progress. Secure in his arrogance, Saruman had moved his orcs away. They came to a row of doors. The first two cells were empty. White Knight carved through the third door. A ragged figure sat on the bed, looking up.

"The Highlander!" smiled White Knight. "We've found him!"

The Highlander was too weak to speak. White Knight walked over to the bed, and picked him up, draping one of his arm over his own shoulder.

"This man doesn't look that old!" said Star Man.

"Don't just stand there." said White Knight. "We've got to get out of here."

As the three of them turned round, they found an obstacle. Panthor, with three orcs, stood in their way.

"It was only a matter of time before you came." said Panthor. "A pity that you will not leave!"

Woodwose was the first to act. He brushed past White Knight, and picked up two of the orcs. He tossed them to one side, as if they were nothing. Panthor entered the battle. He leapt through the air, toward White Knight. A boot to the chest knocked him off his feet. The final orc went after Star Man. He was no match for him. The orcs fought back slightly, but they could not handle the combined attack of Woodwose and Star Man.

White Knight continued to battle Panthor. The renegade Voltanian showed great agility against the swordsman. Before Star Man and Woodwose could help their comrade, they were besieged by more orcs.

As the battle went on, the Captain was racing through the corridors of the castle. He knew that orcs would soon be attacking Mr. X and Chameleon, trying to draw them away from their main task. That is why he went on ahead. He went through several rooms before he came to the chambers of Morgana Le Fey. He quickly saw what he was looking for; the brass urn containing Winthorn's ashes. He grabbed it, but as turned to leave the chambers, something blocked his path; Saruman the White.

"You are a foolish young man." he said. "You and your friends will never leave my castle alive!"

"Don't count on it!" said Watt.

Quickly, Watt tried to fly past Saruman, but the wizard created an invisible wall that blocked him. This knocked him to the ground, but he still managed to keep hold of the urn.

"Now, Captain." Saruman hissed. "You will die!"

Saruman raised his hand, and it began to glow. Then, Saruman began to fade slightly. He grasped his chest, as if he were in great pain. He then slumped to the ground. Watt did not know what was happening, but he knew this was his chance. As Saruman lay doubled up in pain, Watt rushed out of the chambers. He quickly joined his team mates. He raced through the hallway, knocking Panthor and the orcs off their feet.

"I have it!" Watt shouted. "I have the remains!"

Panthor could not believe his ears. As he stood motionless for a second, White Knight punched him, sending him flying.

Watt then grabbed a piece of the floor, and ripped a huge chunk out of it.

"Everyone on the floor!" he cried.

The others did as Watt said. Seconds later, they were out of the castle, and near the border.

"We must return to Vasaria quickly!" said White Knight.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Magus stood alone at the summit of Mount Vasaria. Closed circuit television cameras beamed the proceedings back to their headquarters. As they watched Magus drew a mystic circle on the bare rock around him, he walked to each corner of the pentagram within and lit a black candle which stood there. He gazed up at the full moon which beamed down upon him. Tonight was not a night for the moon. Magus chanted the Charm of Making. Black clouds swept across the moon until those watching could only see dimly by the light of the flickering candles.

Magus turned his attention to the central brazier. Lighting it he produced a silver chalice and poured Winthorn's ashes into it. Then he began to invoke Ybo. His words chilled those who watched on the screens below.

"Ybo, Lord of the Dead, Master of the Seventh Hell, I call thee. Rise up from the pit and instil life once more into the remains of this one now dead."

As the flames leapt up Magus poured liquid from a vial onto the ashes.

"With blood I summon thee!"

Then he dropped something into the flames.

"With hair I summon thee!"

Thick black smoke swirled around. Then a mighty clap of thunder vent the air. The sky turned green as atop the mountain stood Ybo, Lord of the Dead.

"Who calls Ybo?" the hideous apparition boomed.

"I, Magus, of the Istari."

Ybo seemed surprised.

"I would not have expected one of the Istari to call me forth. What do you crave?"

"This man whose remains lie here died out of his time. His death will even affect you, Ybo!"

"You speak the truth, but why do you not restore him yourself?"

"Were I to bring him back to life then he would be but a zombie. I need him as he was."

Ybo raised his arms. The top of the mountain bathed in purple light. When it faded Winthorn stood, looking bemused. Ybo rounded on Magus, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"Now I claim my payment! Your immortal soul!"

Magus played his trump card. Before him he held a piece of the Sacred Host, blessed by the Pope himself. Ybo cowered back.

"Did you think that I would use black magic without protecting myself? I have the power of the church behind me!"

"We are at a stalemate then!" Ybo sneered. "I cannot take your soul, you cannot return me to the void! There is only one way and…."

Ybo's voice rose into a scream. The last words of the Saamaac ritual fell from Magus' lips. Then he seized Winthorn and teleported away. He knew not where, he just had to get away.

The screens in the headquarters went blank. What they did not see was everything within the circle was scorched to a crisp. Magus and Winthorn appeared half a mile away, three thousand feet above the ground. Magus was unconscious. They began to plummet earthwards. Watt swept out of the headquarters as fast as he could but before he could get there a great leathery winged shape swept beneath the two and carried them back to the headquarters.

Early the next morning Magus, still recovering from his ordeal, greeted his comrades. As he seated himself, somewhat unsteadily, he introduced….

"Captain Winthorn, gentlemen!" I've brought him back, now you must take him back!"

Saruman the White hobbled through the hallways of his castle. Davros was close behind him.

"Are you stupid, Saruman?" shouted Davros. "To send my forces to orbit around Earth is shear stupidity, especially with all of your orcs destroyed!"

"I do not care what you think, Davros." said Saruman. "You and your Daleks will monitor our attack on Vasaria."

Saruman stopped for a moment, as if he were out of breath. Then, he slowly turned round to face Davros. It was clear to Davros that Saruman was struck by some mysterious ailment.

"I will lead the attack on the forces of Magus." said Saruman. "You will launch your ship in two hours."

Davros moved away from Saruman, with on thing on his mind. Should he withdraw his forces from Saruman's alliance?

Magus walked out of one of the small rooms in the Morbius mansion. Burns approached him.

"How is Winthorn?" he asked.

"He is sleeping." Magus replied. "But that is the least of my worries. I must find a way to merge our Captain Winthorn with the one in 1933."

"And Kong?" queried Burns. "I've been in contact with Ogasawa Island. They're getting ready to bring Kong here.

"Good." said Magus. "He, too, will have be returned to the past, and joined with his other self. Keep an eye on Winthorn for me. His mind is very fragile at the moment, which is why he must be kept asleep. If he sees just the slightest part of this time he may be lost to us forever. Thomas should be able to see to it."

"Where are you going?" asked Burns.

"I must consult with those of my order, the Istari." replied Magus. "I may not be strong enough to perform such a task that we will heed. I will be gone for a day."

Magus shuffled off down the corridor. He was soon in the open air of Vasaria. It was a bitterly cold evening, with temperatures near zero. As he reached the centre of the town, he noticed a figure in the distance. He couldn't make him out at first, but he was sure it wasn't one of Anglo-Force, because they were all back at the Morbius mansion. Then, as he stood there, the figure approached him. A solemn look appeared on Magus' face when he recognised the man.

"Q!" he shouted. "What the hell are you doing here? This isn't the time or the place!"

"Come now, Phineas." smiled Q. "Is that the proper way to greet an old friend?"

Magus went to walk past Q.

"I have no time for your games." he said. "I have an appointment."

"Ah, yes." said Q. "With the Istari. A bunch of old, bearded men in even older clothes."

Magus turned, and stared at Q.

"You've made your point Q, on many occasions." he said. "Why are you here now?"

"Because I have observed you in the sixteenth century." said Q. "And I have observed you in the twenty-fourth century. Now, I wish to observe you, and help you, in the twentieth century."

"Help?" queried Magus. "How can you help me?"

"Now, now, Magus." said Q. "Have I not proven that I am more intelligent and more powerful than you?"

"Get to the point." said Magus.

"You have a problem with a man and a giant chimp." said Q. "You wish to merge their 1990's selves with those in the 1930's, but you, at the moment, do not have the power to perform such an act. There is currently only one other on this planet who could perform that task. Me."

"Why are you offering your help?" Magus asked. "Why is the Q contingent interested in this war?"

"Let me just say that if Captain Winthorn did not survive, the ramifications would stretch far further than your thirtieth century!"

"What are you saying?" asked Magus. "Does one of his descendants become…omnipotent? A god? One of the Q perhaps?"

"I will say no more." said Q. "But do you accept my offer?"

"I have no other choice, Q." said Magus. "Your offer is accepted."

"There will, however, be a price to pay." said Q.

"I should have known." said Magus. "What price?"

"I may call on you, at a later date, to help me." said Q. "But not just you, your allies, Anglo-Force, as well. They may be of use in helping the Q contingent. I will say no more than that."

Q began to walk away.

"When you need me." he said. "Just mention my name. And remember our deal. Even you and your friends may be of help to the Q!"

Then, there was a bright flash of light, and Q was gone. Magus stood, alone for a moment, pondering on whether he had made the right decision.

Saruman hobbled into the courtyard of his castle. A few months ago, this courtyard had been the centre of activity for his army of orcs. With that army all but destroyed, the human contingent of his forces now filled the courtyard.

As Saruman entered the courtyard, Morgana Le Fey approached him.

"How do you feel now?" she asked.

"Strong enough top lead the attack on Vasaria." Saruman replied.

"Are you sure?" Morgana said. "But your power…"

"My power is not diminished one iota!" snapped Saruman. "Tell me, woman, has Davros left yet?"

"He prepares his craft now." Morgana replied.

"Is Captain Shield's homing beacon in place?" asked Saruman.

"It is." replied Morgana.

"Good." said Saruman. "I have a feeling that Davros may abandon the Brotherhood and try to return to Skaro. He must not be allowed to."

As they spoke, Mother Nature approached them. She was not in a happy frame of mind.

"Why have you done it, Saruman?" she shouted. "Why have Theophilus and Celsius been restrained in your dungeons?"

"Because they are now a threat to me." answered Saruman. "They have drunk from the Holy Grail. Now, they are immortal, they think they should have a higher position within the Brotherhood. The others serve me without question. They did not. I must have total obedience!"

"But look at you!" said Mother Nature. "You are nothing more than a frail old man now. Your power is fading. Maybe they were correct!"

Saruman raised his finger. Mother Nature grabbed her throat, as if she was gasping for breath. Then, she began to float in mid-air, at a height of ten feet.

"You have two choices, Mother Nature." said Saruman. "You can join me in Vasaria, or you can join your comrades in the dungeon."

"Vasaria!" gasped Mother Nature.

Saruman lowered his finger, and Mother Nature fell to the ground. She soon regained her breath.

"You are no match for me!" said Saruman. "You have made a wise decision. To battle against me results in utter defeat."

Mr. X walked through the corridors of Morbius' mansion. As he walked, he heard a noise. A clanging of metal, as if a duel of swords was taking place. He walked into the gymnasium, and what he saw was the same as he had heard - a duel of swords. The Highlander and White Knight were testing their skills against each other. During World War Two, and in the fifties, the Highlander was considered the world's greatest swordsman. In the nineties, that honour belonged to White Knight.

Mr. X called to them.

"Magus has called a meeting." he shouted. "He's putting everyone on red alert. Seems like something big is about to happen."

"It's about time." said the Highlander. "I'm itching for some action!"

Mr. X hugged as the Highlander walked up to him, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Got a problem, Mister?" the Highlander asked.

"It's just that I don't like teaming with killers." said Mr. X

The Highlander pointed his finger at Mr. X's face.

"You should get your facts straight." said the Highlander. "Didn't you see that Royal pardon Magus handed to me?"

The Highlander pushed his way past Mr. X on the way to the study. White Knight came up to him.

"A word of advice, my friend." he said. "The Highlander is a great swordsman, and a great leader. If Magus has respect for him, then so do I. Learn to live with him, because we need him."

"But he's a murderer, Arthur." said Mr. X.

"Neither of us know all the facts, Simon." said White Knight. "If Magus has confidence in him, then so do I."

White Knight walked away, toward the study.

The meeting did not take long. Anglo-Force were now on read alert.

Jock Muir sat on the aqua-plane at one of the computer consoles. As he busily worked, a look of dejection appeared on his face. Then, Chameleon boarded.

"It's nay good." said Muir. "Saruman's weird cloaking thingy had scrambled the sensors. It's kaput!"

"Is there nothing we can do?" asked Chameleon/

"Not without going back to my plant in Aberdeen." said Muir. "We're sitting ducks now. We won't be able to tell when the croonies will attack!"

Magus sat atop Granamyr. On the ground below stood McCloud.

"Do you really think this is wise, Magus?" he asked.

"Saruman's power is weakening. I myself destroyed his staff. You must remember, he was stripped of his immortality by Gandalf. His staff was his only means of controlling his life force. As each day passes, as he casts each new spell, he grows older!"

As Magus sat atop his dragon, an aircraft in Sylvania was being boarded - the aircraft of the Nightmares. The forces of Saruman had finished their preparations.

Captain Shield sat in the pilot's chair. As he started the aircraft's engines, Saruman sat himself in the chair next to Shield. Saruman was visibly weakening.

"You look unwell." said Shield. "Are you sure you should be on this attack?"

"I am perfectly well." said Saruman. "I have never felt stronger."

Then, the aircraft took off. The passengers, which included members of the Black Squadron, the Nightmares, Panthor and what was left of the orcish army were ready for combat.

Three hours passed. The aircraft had reached Vasarian airspace. They were met with little resistance. They landed just inside the border. Saruman was the first to disembark.

"How far are we from the mansion?" he asked.

"About twenty miles." said Morgana.

"Good." said Saruman. "Those of you who can fly under their own power will do so. Morgana, you will carry those who can not, as well as myself."

"Yourself, Saruman?" queried Morgana.

"Do not argue, woman!" snapped Saruman. "Just do as I say!"

Within a matter of seconds, they were airborne, headed toward the Morbius mansion.

A short time alter, they were on the outskirts of the compound. Morgana Le Fey was surprised.

"This place is deserted!" she said.

"Magus is no fool." said Saruman. "He knew that a mighty battle would take place here. A pity that the people he wanted to protect will soon be enslaved. Death Angel, you fly on ahead."

Death Angel took to the sky, laser rifle in hand. A few minutes later, he was high above the Morbius mansion. From the sky, he could see Jock Muir working on the aqua-plane. Using the communicator he had been given, he contacted Saruman. He was then given new orders.

On the ground, Jock Muir left the aqua-plane. He was not a happy man, as he had been unable to repair the aqua-plane. As he wiped grease from his hands with an old rag, he casually looked up into the sky. He thought he saw something, but he dismissed it. Then, he heard the huge flapping of giant wings, and saw Death Angel above him. He managed to dive out of the way when he saw the Russian point the rifle at him. There was an explosion as the aqua-plane was hit. When he heard the explosion, Magus rushed to the window of the room he was in. Mr. X was not far behind him.

"It's started!" said Magus. "Saruman's attacking! Alert the others."

Star Man was the first to leave the mansion. Firing a light blast, he only just missed Death Angel. After this attack, he turned his attention to the mansion, blasting it three times.

Beastmaster stood alone, his thin grey hair blowing in the wind. Panthor leapt to attack, Burns dodged.

"You are nimble for an old man!" sneered Panthor.

"Not as nimble as my friend!" replied Burns.

Panthor looked around, the ground at his feet was a carpet of rats, clawing at his legs. Then, at Beastmaster's discretion a swarm of bees settled on Panthor's head. He collapsed in terror. Saruman stalked the compound in search of Magus. He could not find him. However, once more Magician faced Morgana. Spell was countered by spell. Then, from a vial in his pocket Magician played his trump card, he threw it, a vial of saltwater, at Morgana's feet. The water began to grow. Morgana, knowing full well that as a witch she could not stand salt water, fled.

The battle went well with Magus and his allies. At last Saruman came face to face with his old nemesis. They stood facing each other. Saruman, who mere months before, looked as old as Magus.

"I will destroy you!" snarled Saruman.

"Do not be a fool." said Magus. "I have destroyed your staff. Even now your power fades."

Saruman gathered his energy. As he mustered his last effort, Magus opened a portal. He pushed Saruman through it, not noticing a shadowy figure escaping from it. Vampira saw this and rushed to leave. Soon she, and all the others, were rounded up. Magus rested in the mansion. A loud noise could be heard outside. It was a helicopter bearing urgent news.

Davros had attacked the Predators outside Moscow. Half a dozen shuttle crafts left the Dalek ship. A mighty battle ensued. Neither side had met the likes of the other before. The battle seemed to be at a stalemate until the Predators got the upper hand. Slowly, the Daleks were being destroyed.

Davros sat in his ship, surveying the battle below. He was unhappy.

"The Predators are indeed mighty warriors." he said. "My Daleks are outnumbered now. Red-4, charge lasers! Attack the Predators! Attack Moscow!"

The Dalek moved over to the weapons panel. After setting the necessary controls, the Dalek was ready to press the fire button.

But before the weapons could be fired, Davros saw something on the view-screen. Seemingly, from out of nowhere, appeared a huge spaceship. A saucer-like shape was at the front of the vessel, which joined onto a 'body', which had two 'arms', which were the engines. On top of the saucer section was the following;

'NCC 1058 - U.S.S. Valkyrie'

Davros was shocked. He had never seen a ship that big before. Before the Daleks could do anything, a burst of energy came from the large Valkyrie spaceship. The blast struck the Dalek ship. It flew out of it's orbit around Earth, and was sent spinning into space.

With no reinforcements, the remaining Daleks were easily destroyed by the Predators.

But they were not the only Predators on Earth. Another group had been drawn toward Vasaria, drawn by the battle that had just taken place. They had quickly studied the powers of Anglo-Force, and thirty of the alien warriors had been dispatched. As Anglo-Force re-grouped in the compound, the Predators landed in front of them.

"This is all we need!" said Watt.

"Magus!" cried Mr. X. "Get us out of here!"

"I still don't have enough energy!" Magus shouted.

Then, before anybody did anything, something strange happened. To the surprise of the alien Predators, Anglo-Force seemed to be enveloped by some strange energy field. Then, within a matter of seconds, they were all gone.

A few seconds later, they re-appeared. This time, in a large, white room. What seemed to be small spaceships were positioned next to them. Then, they heard a hissing-like noise, as a door, about ten feet in front of them, opened. Two men, wearing some sort of black and gold uniform, and carrying what appeared to be weapons, walked in. One appeared to be human, the other had dark hair, and pointed ears. Magus was somewhat surprised.

"An elf?" he said. "But we are nowhere near the Time of Legends!"

The elf smiled, then pressed what appeared to be his badge. It was, in fact, a communication device.

"Greenleaf to bridge. They're all aboard sir."

"Good, Ensign." said another voice. "I'm on my way."

Almost everyone was confused.

"What the hell is going on here?" shouted Watt. "Where are we?"

The other man stepped forward.

"You must be James Watt." he said. "You look only slightly younger than the last time I saw you."

Watt was even more confused. His confusion grew when another man entered. This man wore a red and black uniform. Apart from the slightly greying black hair, he was almost a spitting image of Watt.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Captain James Watt, commanding officer of the U.S.S. Valkyrie."

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Dr. Magus and Captain James Watt, the commanding officer of the U.S.S. Valkyrie, the 24th century starship, walked through the corridors of the mighty vessel.

"How did you know that by saving us, you would not be altering the future?" asked Magus.

"Because you told me so." said Captain Watt. "Well, your future self. I was ordered by Starfleet Command to investigate a wormhole in the Serti-Beta system. I was then ordered to send the Valkyrie through the wormhole. Normally, only a shuttle craft would be used. An hour before we were due to go through, I received a priority one call from Starfleet. The call came from our sister ship, the Lohengrin, under the command of Captain Connor McCloud, your Highlander. Your Captain Watt, an ambassador in my time, transmitted a file that you had given to him in the year 2137. It outlined what was on the other side of the wormhole, and what we had to do once we reached the twentieth century."

"I see." said Magus.

Then, Captain Watt stopped at a door.

"This is the place." said Watt. "Sickbay."

The two men walked into sickbay. Magus immediately walked over to the main treatment table, where lay a man. An Asian gentleman walked over.

"Who is this man?" he said. "What is he doing here?"

"Magus, this is our chief medical officer, Dr. Gourlak Singh." said Watt.

"This must be Commander Winthorn, the man the Doctor told me about." said Magus.

"Yes." said Watt. "The file said…"

Before Captain Watt could finish his sentence, Magus placed his hands on Winthorn's temples. There was a slight glow around his head. Then, Magus removed his hands.

"I've managed to stabilize him." he said. "But now I must move fast. I must have Kong and Captain Winthorn…"

Before Magus could finish, Captain Watt activated his communicator.

"Watt to bridge."

"Bridge. Commander Pendragon here."

"Is holodeck three programmed yet?"

"Yes, Captain. Skull Island, just as Dr. Magus ordered."

"Good, number one. Beam Kong to holodeck three and Captain Winthorn to sickbay."

Magus allowed himself a slight smiled.

"You run a tight ship." he said.

"So you've said, on many occasions."

Magus and Captain Watt then left sickbay, and entered the turbo life. They were soon on the bridge.

The bridge was huge compared to twentieth century navy ships. There were two helm controls. The Captain was seated at one of these, and was being shown it by the helmsman, Lieutenant Mark Tompkins. His descendant smiled at what he saw.

"Go easy with Granddad, Mr. Tompkins." he grinned. "Status report, number one."

"We are in high Earth orbit, out of radar range. The Predator ship is also still in orbit, all have now returned to the ship."

"Maintain yellow alert." replied Watt.

"What do we wait for now?" asked Magus.

"Q." replied Watt. "Your file said he will arrive in five minutes."

The Captain rose from the helm.

"Lieutenant Amarus said he'd seen me before. What did he mean?"

"He's probably seen your picture. You're well known in my time. Magus, can I see you in private for a minute?"

They walked into the ready room.

"He doesn't know yet?" asked Watt.

"The time when I tell him that he will age one year in fifty is near, but not yet."

A call came through from the bridge.

"Q is here, Captain."

Captain Watt and Magus left the ready room. As they entered the bridge there was a bright light. When the light faded Q was visible, this time dressed in a Starfleet uniform.

"Greetings, mon Capitan!" he said.

"Still trying to get into the academy, Q?" said Captain Watt.

"I still see that you are like the others I have encountered." said Q. "Are they here Magus?"

"Kong and Winthorn are aboard. Magus replied.

"Then let us depart!" said Q. "I haven't got all day!"

Q raised his hand, and both of them were gone from the bridge. Kong and Winthorn vanished too. Instantly, they re-appeared inside one of the penthouses at the top of the Empire State Building in the year 1933.

"Where are Kong and Winthorn?" Magus asked.

"In limbo, unconscious, of course." said Q. "But the other hairy mothball will soon be here with us."

Magus and Q looked out of the window, to see the giant Kong scaling the building. Then, as if on cue, the aircraft appeared in the sky.

"Now comes the critical part." cried Q.

He raised his hand, as they looked out of the window everything was still.

"Time itself has been stopped." said Q. "Now you must act."

Magus began to chant the Charm of Making. As Q watched Kong and Winthorn appeared near their other selves. As Magus continued to chant they slowly began to merge. Q restored time. A few moments later the portal appeared. Q snapped his fingers. The portal snapped shut.

Then, Magus found himself back on the bridge of the Valkyrie. The Captain walked over.

"Is it done?"

Magus nodded.

"There is one more thing I must do." said Magus.

He led the Captain into the ready room.

"There's one last thing you must know, James." said Magus. "There is another side effect of the cure which I have not told you about. You will age one year for every fifty that you live."

Before Watt could react Magus left the ready room. Saruman had been defeated, but now the Valkyrie was stranded in the twentieth century.

Magus was the last member of Anglo-Force aboard the Valkyrie. He stood on one of the transporter rooms with Captain Watt.

"Commander Winthorn should recover in a few days." said Magus.

Magus stepped onto the transporter pad.

"Is there nothing you can do for us at the moment?" asked Captain Watt.

"Your problem is indeed grave." said Magus. "I alone do not have the power to transport you back to your own time. I have a few other ideas, but I shall have to discuss them with the others of my order. I will contact you within forty eight hours."

Captain Watt took off his communicator. He walked onto the transporter pad, and pinned it onto Magus' lapel.

"It will be easier if you use this." he said. "The signal shouldn't be detected by anyone."

Watt stepped off the transporter pad.

"I will be as fast as I can." said Magus.

"Thank you, Doctor Magus." said Watt. "And may your gods go with you."

Magus turned to the transporter operator.

"Energize." Watt ordered.

Seconds later, Magus was gone.

To be continued…..


	2. 2: Enter Gandalf's Guardians

**CHAPTER ONE**

Anglo-Force headquarters, two miles outside London. A meeting of the members of Anglo-Force was taking place, a meeting that would have serious repercussions on the very future of the organization. Present were the Captain, James Watt, acting leader in the absence of Mr. X, Chameleon, Star Man, White Knight and Woodwose. This meeting was not a pleasant one.

"I don't give a damn what any of you say." shouted Watt. "If it wasn't for Magus, Anglo-Force would still be operating out of some sort of sewer! Without Magus, Anglo-Force is nothing!"

"If it wasn't for Magus, our leader, Mr. X, would be here with us today, instead of some rehab clinic in Essex." said Chameleon. "We don't need that old bastard. We can survive on our own!"

"It may have escaped your notice, Mr. Anderson, but we are now two members under our original government agreement." said Watt.

"We wouldn't be in this trouble if it wasn't for Magus and your Russian floozy!" snapped Chameleon.

Watt stormed over to Chameleon, and grabbed him by his collar.

"For that I ought to kill you! Without Magus, half of our funding is gone, and without me, so is your leader. As of now, I resign!"

Watt stormed out of the room, neglecting to open the door.

"Well." said Chameleon. "That's another of Magus' friends gone."

"You are lucky that we are still here, Lewis." said White Knight. "I suggest we hold our leadership election soon, before our money from Magus and the government runs out!"

"No election is needed." said Chameleon. "If you look at our charter, it shows that I am third in command. Until Mr. X returns, I am taking command!"

The leader of the Black Squadron, Mother Nature, and her new second in command, the Grim Reaper, walked through the cold, dark, damp caves of northern Wales. Ever since the Saruman Wars, the Black Squadron had been short of "staff". Dr. Theophilus and Celsius were now being held in the new Dentonville maximum security prison, recently constructed by Muir Industries. As the two stepped through the puddles, Mother Nature began to look sceptical.

"I'm not sure about this." she said. "You said you had found us help, but you didn't say who. I don't want any weirdo in my organization."

"Those who do not trust the Reaper end up meeting me in my own environment, very soon. We are here."

The two of them stopped at a cave wall.

"There is nothing her!" screeched Mother Nature.

"Behold."

The wall started to shimmer, and then, it vanished, revealing another, long tunnel, but this one had some light.

"We are almost there." said the Reaper. "Our associates are this way."

The Reaper led Mother Nature down the tunnel. Soon, they were in another chamber, completely lighted by candles. A strange smell filled the room. In the centre of the room sat a large, heavily muscled man, with a skull painted on his face. He stood, gazing into the air, laughing. In one corner of the chamber, stood another well built man. This man was also gazing into the air, but this one seemed to be talking to an invisible man.

"I present to you our new members, Shango and Dimento."

The man in the corner spoke.

"The spirits inform me that you are allies of darkness."

Mother Nature turned to the Reaper.

"It seems that you have brought me a couple of weirdos."

"They are powerful allies. They will serve you well."

"I get the feeling that they will serve me to the police. For now, they will come with us. Whether or not they stay with us depends on their abilities. If they fail us, then you will pay dearly."

The story of Watt's resignation leaked to the press. The tabloids were having a field day.

"Captain resigns over Red Sun affair; Magus vanishes."

This was just the thing that the objectors in the House of Commons wanted.

Another day passed. Watt was very angry. HE was flying at super-speed over London, trying to burn off some of his anger. As he neared full speed, he hit what seemed to be an invisible barrier. Watt had never encountered anything like this before. Quickly, he fell to the ground. He landed in an old alley. He soon got to his feet, and dusted himself off.

"My apologies, Captain, but that was the only way I could attract your attention."

Watt spun round, to see an old man dressed in robes standing behind him. He instantly recognised him.

"Gandalf! What are you doing here?"

"It is not often that I visit Earth, I only visit on grave occasions."

"Magus?"

"Magus' disappearance and the disruption within the ranks of Anglo-Force troubles the Istari greatly. It had caused a shift in the balance of power. Even as I speak, evil forces conspire against the forces of good. What is about to happen could disrupt the entire fabric of space and time."

"You're not talking to Magus here, Gandalf. Speak plainly."

"I was, my dear Captain. Your resignation has caused an imbalance. It was written that this would happen. That is why we of the Istari have approached you, Captain. We need your help."

"I'm off giving anyone help at the moment."

"But you must, because with your help, we can help redress the balance of power. The Istari is about to gather a force, from all over time, to redress the balance. They are a group of powerful warriors, but they lack leadership. You have shown your leadership qualities in the past, now, we ask you to show them again."

"You want me to command a bunch of kids?"

Gandalf raised his hand. They were no longer in central London, but in what seemed to be a prehistoric land. Gandalf pointed to the sky, where a man was flying overhead.

"From the year one million, B.C., I present Mightor, the powerful tribal warrior. The most powerful man of his time."

The scene changed again, this time to one of ancient Egypt.

"I present Shazzan, the mighty magical genie. His power is without compare in this time period."

The scene changed again. Watt recognised it as 1960's Washington. They saw another man fly overhead, but this one had wings.

"I present Birdman, upholder of the law, protector of the innocent."

"Don't give me that." said Watt. "I remember reading that Birdman vanished in the late…"

"He did. He journey from the sixties to your time period, the nineties."

The scene changed again. This time, they floated in space. A space craft flew past them. Gandalf pointed to the cockpit.

"From the 22nd century, Space Ghost. A powerful warrior, whose technology will help you."

The scene changed again. This time they were on an alien planet.

"The 27th century. Here we find the final pieces of our puzzle. Vapour Man, Meteor Man and Gravity Girl, collectively known as the Galaxy Trio."

The scene changed for a final time. They were now in what seemed to be a room in a castle. Gandalf and Watt stood in the middle of the room. On one side of the room, on tables, lay Mightor, Shazzan, Birdman and Space Ghost. On the other side lay the Galaxy Trio. Gandalf held his hands high. A slight flow appeared around the heads of each of those on the table.

"It is complete. Not only are they well versed in the ways of their own time, but they are now well versed in the ways of your time. The decision is now yours, Captain."

"Do I have in choice in the matter?"

"You are indeed the final piece of the puzzle, Captain. These are not the only ones the Istari can call on. There are many more, but at the moment, you are the only one we can call from this time period, Your are needed, Captain Watt, to lead the Time Guardians!"

The remaining members of the Black Squadron, Mother Nature, Trull, Vampira and the Grim Reaper sat in their headquarters, an old farm in the Surrey countryside. As they sat, a strange smell drifted into the old farm house from the barn outside. Mother Nature was not a happy woman.

"Perhaps it would have been better to help Theophilus and Celsius escape from prison." said Vampira.

"I'm beginning to agree with you." said Mother Nature. "Those two weirdos have turned this place into a devil worship place!"

"They are powerful warriors." said the Reaper. "They will aid you in your quest to eliminate Anglo-Force."

"Speaking of Anglo-Force." said Vampira. "Look at this."

Vampira handed Mother Nature the current newspaper, with the front page story about Watt's resignation.

"They now number only four." said Vampira. "They are now easy pickings."

"Summon your weirdo friends, Reaper." ordered Mother Nature. "We must make our plans."

An unofficial visitor was being received at the Anglo-Force mansion. Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman had read the many newspaper reports about Watt's resignation. He was very concerned.

"This is not good at all. Under your original charter, you said you would be at least seven strong. Now, with Mr. X injured, and Watt's resignation, coming only a few months after the Red Sun incident, this is all very worrying."

White Knight, now in his guise of Arthur Pendragon, and acting as solicitor to Anglo-Force, replied.

"Believe me, minister, it is also worrying for my clients. We have tried to contact some of our old members, but Axe Kid and Lightning Kid are preparing for their final exams, and Jet hasn't been seen for weeks."

"This is still no good. The Commons Executive Committee on Law and Order is considering calling Anglo-Force's leader for questioning. By the way, who is their leader now?"

"Chameleon. The charter elected him as third in command."

"That's another thing the P.M. is worried about. He is an unknown quantity as leader."

Sir Angus got up to leave.

"There are many things that have to be taken into account. The government can not afford to fund the project on it's own, and with this being an election year, well, you know what I mean."

"I will try my best, but I can't guarantee anything."

**CHAPTER TWO**

Watt stood in the main courtyard of the strange castle. He stood watching his new "team-mates". He stood watching as Mightor and Meteor Man tested their strength against each other, the alien using his growing power to good effect. Gravity Girl using her power to levitate huge objects. Birdman re-charging his power by the sun. Vapour Man and Space Ghost testing their skills against each other. As Watt watched, he noticed a giant shadow appear over him. He looked up to see the giant genie, Shazzan, standing over him.

"So, you are to be my new master. Gandalf has told me much about you."

"Yeah, likewise. But do you have to be so, tall? You'd stand out like a sore thumb in Kensington."

"Do not worry, master. I am here to serve you."

Shazzan snapped his fingers, and he shrunk until he was as "short" as Watt.

"See, master. My wish is to obey you."

Watt walked away. He felt somewhat strange at being spoken to like this. He walked into the castle hallway. Gandalf was there waiting for him.

"You have spoken to your new team-mates. Have you made your decision?"

"I still don't like this. It seems as if you are making my mind up for me."

"I may be influencing your decision slightly, but in the end, the decision is still yours."

"I need more time."

"Then time you shall have."

There was a strange rustle in the bushes less than half a mile away from the Anglo-Force mansion. Unknown to this inside, they were being watched.

"This is the nearest we can get to without being detected." said the Grim Reaper.

Mother Nature held a small device in front of her. It began to scan the mansion.

"We will know how many are in there in a minute or so."

Dimento held his hand out, and began speaking to himself.

"All four of them are in the building." he said. "One other has just left in a car."

"I don't believe it." said Mother Nature. "He's right! But how…?"

"The spirits told me of this. They are my eyes and ears in other places."

"Can your 'spirits' tell me if their security system is activated?"

"It is. There is no way we can disarm it from here/"

"Then we shall have to attack with it in place."

Then, Shango stood up. He held the small stick in his hand high in the air. On top of the stick was a skull's head. A burst of flame shot out of the skull, toward the mansion. It shot high up into the air, and a few seconds later, it hit the building. Those inside had no idea what was going on, it seemed that the ground was shaking beneath them. Then, all of the power went out.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted Chameleon.

Before any of the others could answer, there was an almighty crash. One of the walls crashed down into the building. When the dust cleared, all that could be seen was the lone figure of Dimento.

"We're under attack!" shouted Chameleon.

"Tell us something we don't know!" said White Knight.

And with that, Dimento leapt forward, and attacked Chameleon. The attack took Anglo-Force's new leader by surprise. Dimento threw him around like an old rag doll. White Knight went to aid Chameleon, but he was grabbed by the throat by Dimento, and thrown to the ground. Then, Woodwose and Star Man entered the room. Dimento turned his attention away from Chameleon and White Knight, and went after Woodwose. A might brawl ensued. Blow was met by might blow. Neither was gaining any ground. As this battle happened, Star Man aimed one of his blasts at Dimento, but before he could, a fire blast from Shango's magical cane hit him in the back. As Shango stood over Star Man, proud of his attack, the side of Excalibur's blade hit him in the back. He turned around to see White Knight standing behind him. He shot the Knight an icy stare. The blow had no effect on him. One swipe of Shango's fist sent White Knight flying.

Shango turned around again, and this time, was hit squarely on the jaw. He was slightly confused, because no one was standing in front of him. Then, he realised. He held his cane out, and a strange light began to emanate from it. Seconds later, he could see his attacker. Chameleon was using his powers to sneak attack him. The tactic had not worked. A fire blast from the cane sent Chameleon reeling. Shango began to laugh. He had taken care of three of Anglo-Force's members in a matter of minutes. But he could not gloat for long. A few seconds later, the flying body of Dimento crashed into him. It had appeared that Woodwose had defeated his comrade.

Shango got to his feet, to see Woodwose approaching him. Woodwose began to smile. Before Shango could react, the ground beneath them began to shake. Then, huge vines began to break through the floor. About a dozen of them grew quickly, and grabbed Woodwose around his arms and legs. Woodwose struggled, but try as he might, he could not break free. He then noticed the leader of the Black Squadron, Mother Nature, standing in the doorway. Then, Vampira flew into the room. She stared straight into Woodwose's eyes, and because he was helpless, he could not resist the icy stare. Within seconds, he was unconscious. Then, the Grim Reaper and Trull entered the room. As soon as they entered, both Chameleon and White Knight began to slowly get to their feet. As soon as he saw this, Trull rushed over to them and threw them against the wall. All of Anglo-Force now lay on the floor unconscious. They had been totally defeated.

"Reaper!" cried Mother Nature. "Deal with the rubbish! They must have some kind of holding cell in this place!"

The Grim Reaper raised his hand, and a small cloud of mist began to form around each of the fallen bodies. Slowly, they began to rise, and then, they floated out of the room. The Reaper soon found the detention area. Soon, Anglo-Force were held in their own cells. Mother Nature then approached the Reaper.

"I must commend you. Your new charges have done well. They, and the rest of you will soon be rewarded. We shall ask a heavy price for the lives of Anglo-Force!"

Soon, Mother Nature was seated at the main desk in the computer room.

"Hurry, restore power. We must activate the field in the holding cell."

Shango entered the computer room. He picked up one of the stray cables that was lying on the floor, and reconnected it to the computer. Then, he touched the join with his cane. There was a slight glow and a strange smell, but soon, the power was restored. The computer was up and running. Then, Mother Nature activated the force field in the holding cell. It now looked as if there would be no way for Anglo-Force to escape.

A few hours later, Mother Nature gained access to the main computer files. She was amazed to find what she did. She now had ready access to some of the more sensitive files.

It was at least three hours before the security services began to arrive at the headquarters. They completely surrounded the building. The officer in charge was Inspector Solo. He held the loud-hailer in his hand.

"This is the police. You are completely surrounded. Air units are on their way. Give up now and there will be no gunfire."

The front door of the building opened, and out stepped Shango. He held his cane out in front of him, and fire bursts shot out. It hit one police car, then another, and another. The fire burst hit each police car in turn, causing each to explode. The police officers ran for their lives.

"It's no good." said Solo. "The Black Squadron are too powerful! And now, we've got no way of calling for reinforcements."

Then, the air units arrived. Five helicopters armed with the most sophisticated weaponry. Solo signalled them to open fire on the building. As they did, a force firled of some kind began to envelope the building. The gunfire and missiles just exploded on impact. Inside the building, Mother Nature was more than happy.

"It is working!" she cried. "It's working!"

The air units continued their attack. Once more Shango appeared in the open, and once more, he unleashed another fire burst from his cane. Each helicopter was destroyed, one after the other.

"This is by far my finest hour!" laughed Mother Nature.

Then, a solemn look appeared on the face of Vampira, who sat at the monitor station.

"I'm picking up another aircraft coming in, but I've never seen anything fly this fast before!"

"Let me see!"

Mother Nature pushed Vampira out of the seat, and sat herself at the monitor station. She quickly checked the files. Nothing matched with the incoming aircraft.

"It's getting too close for comfort." said Mother Nature. "Shango, deal with it!"

Once again Shango stepped out into the open. Mother Nature lowered the force field. Shango aimed his cane at the strange looking craft, but before he could unleash another of his fire bursts, the aircraft had gone. Again, it made another pass at the building, and once more, Shango could not fire. He was beginning to get angry. Then, the aircraft made another low pass, but this time, it opened fire. Several laser blasts ripped into the ground around Shango. Shango ran for cover, to the inside of the bulding. Then, the force field was re-established. Shango ran into the computer.

"The flying warrior is mighty! Mightier than Shango!"

In the holding cell, the prisoners could tell something was going on.

"We've got to try and find a way of getting out of here." said Chameleon.

"Hooray for our new leader." said White Knight. "I may be able to do something, but I haven't done it in a while."

White Knight looked around, until he saw Excalibur lying on the floor where the Grim Reaper had left it. He then closed his eyes, and he was now in deep concentration. Slowly, very slowly, Excalibur began to rise from the ground. Then, it floated over to the main control panel. With one mighty swipe, Excalibur sliced into the control panel. There was an almighty explosion, but it did manage to release the restraining bolts that were holding the four of them. When the bolts were released, the four of them fell to the ground.

"How did you do that?" asked Woodwose.

"Excalibur is a magical weapon." White Knight replied. "It will only do my bidding. It will not work for anyone else!"

"Enough talk." said Chameleon. "We've got to get to the control room."

Chameleon pressed a button, and the door opened. The first thing they saw was a smoke filled corridor.

"Which way?" asked White Knight.

Star Man held his hand high, and a glow enveloped it.

"Left." he said. "We'll be there in a matter of minutes."

Outside, the strange aircraft continued to make passes at the building. Inside the cockpit, the occupants were very happy.

"The main power supply is still in operation." said Space Ghost.

"You've done enough." said Watt. "But I must say one thing for this 'Phanton Cruiser' of yours. It's one hell of an aircraft. It doesn't match anything my grandson commands, but it will do."

"Your grandson?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell it to you sometime."

Watt then activated the communicator.

"Phanton Cruiser to Condor One. Are you in position Meteor Man?"

"Affirmative, Captain. We are ready to beam down now."

"Are you in position, Shazzan?"

"Yes, master. All is ready."

"Then execute the plan."

Seconds alter, Shazzan, in his full form, appeared outside the bulding. He put his hands together, and fired an energy blast at the force field. The force field vanished instantly. Then, Birdman, Mightor and the Galaxy Trio beamed into the building. As they did, they saw the four members of Anglo-Force race past them, towards the computer when they continued toward the computer room, they were met by a powerful energy blast from the Grim Reaper. They were sent sprawling. Then, the alarm rang out throughout the building.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

"How the hell did anyone get in?" screeched Mother Nature.

"The force field is down!" cried Vampira. "A massive energy surge!"

Then, Birdman entered the room. Before Mother Nature and Vampira could do anything, Birdman fired one of his solar bursts at them. It ricocheted off one of the walls, hitting them. At the sound of this blast, Dimento entered. He was about to attack Birdman when Mightor caught him from behind. Another blow from the tribal warrior and Dimento was done for. Then, the Grim Reaper and Trull ran through the nearby corridor. But their path was blocked by Vapour Man, Meteor Man and Gravity Girl. Before the Grim Reaper knew it, he was floating toward the ceiling. Vapour Man then attacked him with a mist of his own, sending the Grim Reaper into a deep sleep, and Meteor Man's strength far exceeded that of Trull's. There was no match in this battle.

In the computer room, the battle continued. Mother Nature was beginning to regain her senses. She saw Shango standing in the corner.

"Shango!" she cried. "You have the power to get us out of here. Do it!"

Shango appeared to be scared. He raised his cane, and a glow began to appear around him. Then, another one appeared around Dimento. Slowly, the two of them began to vanish. Seconds alter, they had vanished completely. Mother Nature lay on the ground, waiting to follow Shango and Dimento, but nothing happened.

"Damn you to hell!" she cried. "Reaper!"

The Grim Reaper was still battling Gravity Girl and Vapour Man, but when he heard the call of his leader, he broke off his attack, and flew in between his two attackers. He was soon in the computer room.

"Get us out of here, Reaper, and soon, before I deal with you in a harsher way!"

A mist began to form around the remaining members of the Black Squadron. Gradually, they began to re-group, and the mist began to leave the building. Then, as the strange mist neared the exit, Watt and Space Ghost entered. Space Ghost switched on his power band, and fired an energy blast into the mist, but it had no effect.

"Leave it!" said Watt. "It's the Grim Reaper's doing. There's nothing we can do while he's in that state."

The battle had ended. Mightor and Birdman walked over to the fallen Anglo-Force. The Galaxy Trio soon joined them. Birdman helped Chameleon to his feet.

"Thanks." he said. "But who are you? Where did you come from?"

Then, Watt, Space Ghost and Shazzan entered.

"I should have known!" said Chameleon. "It didn't take you long to latch on to a new bunch!"

"Jim, who are these people?" asked White Knight.

"It's a long story, Arthur. Let's just say, they're old friends."

"Now we know the real reason you resigned." said Chameleon. "They are probably another bunch of Magus' cronies!"

"Chameleon!" said White Knight.

Watt shot Chameleon an icy stare.

"We've got no time for this." he said. "We've got an appointment with Gandalf."

Watt turned his back to walk out of the building. As he did, White Knight placed his hand on his shoulder. Watt turned his head.

"Keep in touch, Jim. It won't be the same around here."

Watt glanced at Chameleon, and then at White Knight.

"I can't guarantee anything, Arthur. Maybe once you take out your rubbish."

And with that, Watt, and his new team mates, left the building.


	3. 3: The Woodwose Incident

**CHAPTER ONE**

The strange alien space-craft arrived in orbit around the planet Earth. The likes of this space-craft had not been seen near the Earth for some six months now. The last one, from the distant planet of Monstron, came to Earth to collect Count Dracula and the Frankenstein monster. This craft was on an entirely different mission.

The commanding officer, Colonel Chaney, strode onto the bridge.

"We are now in a standard orbit." said the helmsman.

"Is the device ready?" Chaney asked.

"The final adjustments are being made."

"I just hope that this primitive Ferengi technology works. When the device is complete, contact me. I shall be in my quarters."

Twenty minutes later, and all was complete. Chaney entered the shuttle bay. He closely inspected the device in front of him. He looked closely at the bright, glowing sphere, and then he inspected the propulsion system.

"Is the cloaking device attached?"

"All is ready, Colonel. We await your order."

"Launch the device. Set the cloaking device to activate when it is two hundred kilometres away, then set it to head towards the Earth city of London. It should seek out it's target there."

"Are you sure this will work, Colonel?"

"It must. The Monstron Empire must not have any enemies. The traitor has found new allies on this planet. If they help him then they must be destroyed too. Soon, the Monstron Empire will have no enemies, and we will be able to conquer inferior worlds such as this Earth. The universe is ours for the taking!"

Seconds later the small device left the shuttle bay of the Monstron ship. Two hundred kilometres away, and the cloaking device was activated. A minute after that, and it entered the Earth's atmosphere. All seemed to be going well. It was not picked up by radar from the surface.

On the frozen wastes of the North Pole, a castle stood. The castle seemed somewhat out of place in this frozen wilderness. Just to look at it, you would think it had been there for hundreds of years. In fact, it had been there for a very short period of time. It had been "constructed" by the wizard, Gandalf, as his home on Earth. It was also in this castle that he kept watch over the unfolding events on Earth. At this moment in time, the population of this planet had just finished celebrating the very last Christmas of the current millennium. It was two days before New Year's Eve, and the start of the new millennium, the start of the year 2000.

Gandalf sat in his room, gazing into his portal. A slight smile appeared on his face as he watched, through the portal, people enjoying themselves, preparing their celebrations. It was at this moment that the Captain, James Watt, entered the chamber. Gandalf got to his feet.

"My dear Captain, I thought you would have returned to London, to join in with the celebrations."

"This time of year you normally spend with your friends and family. At this point in time I have none. Magus is gone and Kate is rotting in some Russian prison on a charge of treason. How does that song go? Should old acquaintance be forgot…?"

"There is much to be done James. The balance of the universe still leans toward the dark side."

"And what happened to this so-called galactic force you wanted me to command?"

Watt followed Gandalf into a large chamber. At the end of the chamber was a huge portal.

"The Time Guardians are not needed all the time." explained Gandalf. "Although, all about this room you see chambers containing the forms of those under your command, they are only astral images of those I have chosen to carry out the first of many tasks. Look into the portal, Captain."

The image in the portal changed to that of a strange alien planet.

"Behold the planet Quasar! Behold Zandor, the mighty warrior. He possesses no special powers, but his skills in unarmed combat are unmatched. Also, there are those in other dimensions, parallel to your Earth, that I can select from. Behold!"

The image changed once again. It was replaced by an image of a ruined city, a civilization that looked almost totally destroyed. Then, a figure appeared.

"Another warrior with no special powers, except for those contained in his sun sword. Thundarr the Barbarian. He has learned to protect himself because he lives in a world of savagery!"

A shocked look appeared on Watt's face.

"It can't be! That's London! What year is this Gandalf?"

"It is the year 1995. But it is not the 1995 of your Earth. You must remember that there are many dimensions throughout the space-time continuum that parallel your Earth. In Thundarr's Earth there has been a great tragedy. But then again, the tragedy may never happen!"

Gandalf then closed the portal.

"Now go. Return to London to celebrate the dawning of a new era for your people. It is a great time."

As Watt prepared to leave for London a meeting was taking place at the headquarters of Anglo-Force. Sir Angus-Campbell Bannerman, the Home Secretary, was paying an unexpected visit. This visit did not please Anglo-Force's leader, Chameleon.

"You just can't waltz in here like you own the place!" he protested.

"In effect I do own the place." said Sir Angus. "The cabinet held a special meeting two days before Christmas. Since the resignation of Captain Watt, the injury to Mr. X and the disappearance of Dr. Magus you have taken no steps to recruit new members. The P.M. is becoming increasingly annoyed at your lack of action. Therefore we have taken it upon ourselves to recruit new members for you."

"Now wait a minute! Our charter prohibits any government choosing of our members. We recruit them!"

"Your charter is in danger of being revoked. Your budget is stretched to the limit, especially after the attack on your headquarters by the Black Squadron. The government cannot afford to keep repairing this building."

Sir Angus then put his hand into his pocket. He pulled out an official looking piece of paper.

"This is a summons, ordering you and your solicitor, Arthur Pendragon, to appear before the Commons select committee on crime in two weeks. You will be asked many difficult questions. There are some on that committee who would like nothing more than to see Anglo-Force disbanded. If you continue on your present course those on the committee will get their wish."

Aboard the Monstron vessel they were keeping a track on their strange device.

"It is currently circling the country known as Great Britain." reported the helmsman. "It has localised the position of the target."

"But it hasn't found him yet!" shouted Chaney. "I knew we shou3ld not have used that Ferengi device!"

Then there was a beeping sound from the helm control panel.

"The device is now within five kilometres of the target."

"Activate sphere." Chaney ordered. "It should soon tune into his brainwaves!"

From the Earth's surface the flying device was still undetected, because of the cloaking device. It flew low above the streets of London, it's sensors trying to find it's target. Then it made an abrupt U-turn. It seemed that it had found it's target. Within a matter of minutes it was flying over the Surrey countryside. A few seconds after that and it was hovering about the Anglo-Force mansion.

"Brainwave patterns match." said the Monstron helmsman. It has found the target!"

"Excellent!" smiled Chaney. "Activate the sphere!"

The helmsman pressed a button on his panel. A small light flashed.

"The device is activated."

Inside the Anglo-Force mansion Woodwose sat in his quarters. Unknown to him the strange alien device now hovered outside his window. Woodwose did not notice the glow that appeared for a few seconds. Then the glow was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Then, a blinding surge of pain ripped through Woodwose's skull. He clasped his head, and let out a huge cry of pain.

Elsewhere, Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman was preparing to leave for London when the noise of Woodwose's cry roared throughout the building.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

Suddenly there was a high crash. The door to Woodwose's quarters suddenly flew out. Then, just as the dust began to settle, the mighty figure of Woodwose stepped out. His head was hung low, but when he looked up you could tell that this was not the same Woodwose. Gone was the look of intelligence, the look of a being of high I.Q.. This was replaced by a look of sheer savagery. The hundreds of years it had taken Woodwose's race to develop intelligence seemed to have gone in a matter of seconds. Woodwose had returned to his former, natural self. The Monstron device had done it's task. Now total chaos would ensue.

The first ones into the corridor were White Knight and Star Man. They could not believe their eyes.

"Hey Woody! What's going on?" asked Star Man.

Woodwose stared at his comrade. A look of sheer hatred appeared on his face, and with one mighty swipe he knocked Star Man through three walls. White Knight could not believe what was going on. With Excalibur in his hand he took a swipe at Woodwose, bringing the blade down on Woodwose's arm. Woodwose just stared at White Knight. White Knight knew he had no chance against a foe as strong as Woodwose. He slowly began to back off. Just as he began to back off a laser blast ripped into the shoulder of Woodwose. Woodwose turned around, and he saw Chameleon standing there, laser piston in hand. Woodwose let out a huge roar. Suddenly he felt cramped, confined by the walls of the mansion. He crouched down, and with one mighty leap flew out of the building, crashing through a further three floors. He landed on the ground outside the mansion. He then leapt into the air again, heading toward London. As he moved toward London the Monstron device followed him. Chameleon raced out of the front door and aimed his laser pistol at the departing Woodwose, but it was no good because he was too far away.

"Star Man! White Knight! Quickly! We've go to get after him!" cried Chameleon.

Half an hour passed. The might form of Woodwose flew high across Leicester Square. The authorities had been warned, but they had no idea where Woodwose was going. Suddenly he landed in the middle of Leicester Square. There was a huge crash as he landed. He looked around him, watching the people flee in sheer terror. Drivers abandoned their cars, not wishing to get caught up in the chaos. Woodwose picked up one of these cars and tossed it into the air as if it were a rag doll. He continued in this way for the next few minutes, and then, police cars began to arrive. Out of the first car stepped Inspector Paul Solo, who was very experienced in this sort of situation. At first he could not believe his eyes.

"It can't be! Not Woodwose!"

There were about fifty police marksmen on the scene. They waited for Solo to give the order to open fire, but Solo hesitated.

"We've got to fire! He's tearing up the place!"

"Where the bloody hell are Anglo-Force when you need them?"

Solo's question was soon answered. Flying above Leicester Square was Star Man. He aimed his hands at Woodwose and let go one of his nova blasts. It struck Woodwose on the back. Woodwose turned around and saw Star Man hovering above him. He picked up a car and threw it at Star Man. He just managed to destroy it with another nova blast. While Star Man was diverting Woodwose's attention White Knight had leapt off his winged horse Galador, and he connected with a kick to Woodwose's head. White Knight landed on the ground a few feet away from Woodwose, and he took Excalibur out of it's sheath. Woodwose swung around, raised his arm and tried to hit White Knight. He only managed to save himself by bringing Excalibur to meet Woodwose's might arm. Then, as if from out of nowhere, Chameleon materialized. He held his laser pistol in front of him and fired at Woodwose. Woodwose swung around again, and with one swing of his arm knocked Chameleon flying. The Anglo-Force leader went flying against a wall and was knocked out cold. Another nova blast from Star Man ripped into the ground next Woodwose, but this time Woodwose did not miss his target with the tossed car. Star Man was also slumped on the ground. This left only White Knight to combat the threat of Woodwose. With great agility and speed White Knight managed to dodge any blow that Woodwose tried to connect with. Then, with Excalibur, White Knight tried to connect with a few of his own. But the mighty blade of Excalibur had almost no effect won the skin of Woodwose. Each attempt at an attack on Woodwose's body with Excalibur was stopped by a huge forearm. While White Knight was not doing any harm to Woodwose, Woodwose was not inflicting any damage on White Knight. Then, White Knight hesitated for a split second, and this gave Woodwose his chance. With just one swing of his arm Woodwose sent White Knight flying. It was then that Solo gave the order to open fire. Woodwose let out a huge cry as the bullets of fifty rifles just seemed to bounce off him. All this seemed to do was make Woodwose angrier than he was. The marksmen continued with their barrage of bullets. As they fired they did not notice that one of the bullets seemed to stop in mid-air, as if it had hit an invisible object. In fact it had hit the Monstron device. Another hit from another bullet knocked out the device's cloaking device, which had in fact been the reason for Woodwose's rampage had been taken out, Woodwose continued on his rampage. This time it was his turn to attack the marksmen.

Just as this battle was taking place James Watt was arriving in the skies of London. With a small suitcase in his hand he flew above London at high speed, hoping to quickly get to his Kensington flat. He flew over Leicester Square and at first he did not notice the battle below. Then, just out of sheer curiosity he decided to turn back. He hovered above Leicester Square and at first he couldn't believe his eyes. Was that really Woodwose down there, tearing the hell out of the police? He decided to look further. A couple of seconds later he confirmed what he had seen. It was, indeed, Woodwose battling the police, and he could also see the fallen Chameleon, Star Man and White Knight lying nearby. Woodwose was preparing to launch his final attack, and Watt knew he had to act now. Quickly, he landed between Woodwose and the police. Woodwose stopped in his tracks and stared into Watt's eyes. Watt knew he was about to face his greatest challenge. It seemed that Woodwose knew this would be his greatest test.

CHAPTER TWO

On board the orbiting vessel chaos and confusion reigned.

"What do you mean the device has been destroyed?" boomed Chaney. "Nothing on this planet could destroy that device!"

"It is the only reason why we have lost contact with is, Colonel. There is no way we can tell what is happening on the surface, whether or not the Wose is still in the grip of the madness."

"Then we will have to look for ourselves. Prepare the shuttle craft. Set a course for the last known whereabouts of the device."

A few minutes later the shuttle craft was headed for London.

Woodwose stood, staring at Watt. For a second or two Woodwose seemed to recognise his friend. Then, for a moment, the giant seemed to get dizzy and staggered slightly. Then he regained his footing and stared back at Watt. The look of confusion in his eyes was replaced by one of sheer anger and hatred. Woodwose was once again in the grip of the madness. He then leapt toward Watt. He connected with a flying tackle, and both of them went flying into the surrounding police cars, sending most of the officers fleeing. A few of the officers raised their rifles and prepared to fire again. Solo signalled for them not to.

Woodwose began to pummel Watt, various blows connecting with Watt's head and body. Woodwose then picked him up and threw him hard into the ground. He then picked up one of the police cars and threw it on top of Watt. A slight smirk appeared on Woodwose's face. It appeared he had finished his foe, so he began to walk away. As he did there was a slight rumble, and the car flew up into the air again. Woodwose turned round to see Watt dusting himself of5f. In his current mental state this confused Woodwose greatly. The other three had fallen easily to him, why not this one?

Woodwose walked toward Watt and prepared to unleash another of his mighty blows. He swung his huge arm, but suddenly Watt was gone. Woodwose swung round and saw Watt standing behind him. Woodwose swung again, but again Watt was gone. He now stood to Woodwose's left. Then, Watt approached Woodwose and prepared to unleash with a blow of his own. At the same time Woodwose did the same. There was a mighty clash, and to quote sporting analogy it was the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. When the dust cleared both combatants were standing. Woodwose was now hurting, but he was more confused than hurt. Quickly, Watt capitalized on the situation. He used the old boxing tactic of jab and move, only his movement was at two hundred miles per hour. Woodwose did not know what was hitting him. He stood for a moment completely dazed, but then he managed to hit Watt with a huge clubbing left hand, which caught Watt off guard. Woodwose connected with several more blows, and Watt was stunned. Woodwose was now gaining the upper hand, and he continued with his primal, savage assault. Watt was near unconsciousness, and near defeat.

While this battle was going on nobody noticed the small Monstron shuttle craft landing nearby, and nobody noticed Colonel Chaney step out of the craft, laser rifle in hand. What he saw was not a happy sight for him. His original target, Woodwose, was near victory. Chaney raised the laser rifle and aimed at Woodwose's head.

"Now die, Woodwose! Die like the enemy of the Monstron Empire you are!"

Chaney prepared to squeeze the trigger, but suddenly a bullet ripped through his arm. Chaney let out a cry of pain and dropped the rifle. He looked up to see Inspector Solo pointing a pistol at him.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but if you move you're a dead man!"

Woodwose was preparing to finish off Watt. He stood, dazed, and watched as Woodwose raised his huge right arm, and just as Woodwose was about to bring it down in him he heard a voice, a strangely familiar voice in his head.

"Think immovable force! You will not be moved! You will not be beaten! You must defeat Woodwose!"

Watt had no idea what was going on. Then, the thought entered his head. "Immovable force! Immovable force!" Woodwose unleashed his mighty finishing blow. There was a huge cloud of dust. The dust cleared, and Watt was still standing, but not standing in a two foot deep crater. He did not know how but he had made himself an "immovable force". His strength returning quickly Watt unloaded with a barrage of blows. Woodwose was groggy, and Watt summoned up his last ounce of strength, and Woodwose, for the first time in his life was sent flying. Watt walked over and stood over his fallen foe. Solo soon joined him.

"So what sent Woodwose on this rampage?" asked Watt.

"No idea." Solo replied.

Watt then noticed the strange Monstron device lying on the ground a few yards away. He walked over to it and picked it up. He handed it to Solo.

"Maybe your boys should check this out." Watt said.

"Perhaps that strange cook we picked up has something to do with this!"

Woodwose was removed from the scene. A medical examination showed extensive brain damage, most notably to the areas that governed speech, rationality and intelligent thought. The doctors, unfamiliar with the Wose brain, had no hope in finding a cure. He was taken to the new Dentonville detention facility in the south west. Anglo-Force, and Chameleon in particular, could count themselves very lucky indeed. James Watt had once again save their skins, but now trouble was approaching them from another plain, in the form of a Commons all-party committee on law and order.

New Years Eve, 11:59 PM. The final few seconds of 1999 ticked away. The gathering in Trafalgar Square was much bigger than normal. They had gathered to celebrate the start of the new century, the start of the new millennium. James Watt stood atop one of the buildings overlooking the Square, and he watched the celebrations below. Then, Big Ben started his chimes, and the celebrating crowd fell silent. Then, the huge clock struck once, and the crowd roared in celebration. The year 2000 had arrived. After Big Ben chimed for the twelfth time the gathered crowd broke out in a verse of "Auld Langsyne". The sound of the song could be heard for miles around. The same song was probably being sung the world over. The celebrations would go on for days. But James Watt was not in the mood for celebrating. He prepared to take off into the sky and head toward his Kensington flat. But then something stopped him. He again heard that familiar voice in his head.

"Do not worry James. All is not lost. It will be alright again. We will return soon."

For a split second Watt could have sworn he saw Magus standing in front of him. For the first time in ages Magus had contacted someone, but Watt did not know what Magus meant by "we". But as Watt took to the skies the line "should old acquaintance be forgot" rang out around London. There would definitely be some old friends that Watt could not forget, especially the old friend who save his life.


	4. 4: The Return of Gary Seven

**CHAPTER ONE**

The bolt of pure energy shot through space at speeds far greater than the speed of light. It passed through countless galaxies in an instant, passing through thousands of light years in the blink of an eye. Within two minute of leaving it's departure point it had reached the galaxy it's inhabitants knew as the Milky Way. Just one second after entering the galaxy it reached it's destination, the planet Earth. The energy beam shot toward the city of London. As soon as it had entered Earth's atmosphere the beam became invisible. It weaved it's way through the streets of London until it found it's final destination, a building near the Telecom Tower. The beam hit the building. The occupants inside had no idea that any sort of energy had hit their building.

In an office on the fourth floor of the building a huge metal safe-like door began to open. When it had opened fully a strange sort of mist could be seen inside. Then, from out of the mist stepped a man dressed in a dark suit. In his arms he held a black cat with a diamond collar. The man exited the safe, and the door closed behind him, and shut itself. The man walked over to the desk, and the cat leapt from his arms. The cat looked around, and then looked at his master. She let out a small chirp.

"I know Isis. I also hoped that we never would have had to return to Earth, but ours is not to question. There are things that must be done, one man we must locate. We must find Phineas Magus. If we fail then it could have ramifications for years to come."

The man walked over to the window and looked out to the bustling street below.

"They haven't learned, have they Isis? It's just the same as twenty-five years ago, the same as when I left. If they are not careful they will cause their own destruction. Perhaps this is why we were sent back here. Perhaps I, and Phineas Magus, are the only ones who can save them."

Gary Seven has returned!

January 5th, the year 2000. The reporters form the various news organisations gathered outside number ten Downing Street. The reporters had gathered there after the Prime Minister Simon Harkes had been seen entering Buckingham Palace. A few minutes after Harkes had arrived back at Downing Street the word had been given that Harkes would speak to the gathering press. About ten minutes after that announcement Harkes walked out to speak to the press.

"Half an hour ago I had an audience with the King. I was given permission to dissolve parliament, and I have set the date for the General Election. Ladies and gentlemen, the election will be on February the eighth."

At the Anglo-Force mansion in Surrey Lewis Anderson and Steven Solo, AKA Chameleon and Star Man, watched the announcement live on television. Solo turned to Anderson.

"Well, that's your backside out of the fire for a few more weeks. With the House of Commons dissolved that means your hearing at the select committee on the 27th is postponed."

Anderson stared at Solo.

"All I can suggest is now we try to find new members." said Solo. "Or try to get the old ones back."

"Meaning James Watt?"

"Look at it this way Lew. The government like him, and the authorities like him. Without him we could be up dirt creek without a shovel!"

Anderson sprang to his feet. He stormed toward the door.

"There is no way that James Watt is going to get back into Anglo-Force, not while I'm the commander."

Anderson slammed the door behind him.

"Then maybe it's time to get a new leader!" mused Solo.

Just a few miles away two others had been watching the broadcast from Downing Street. In a house on the outskirts of London the young native American, Chris Norris, rushed through the house to the hallway. He was intending to stop his guardian, Simon Kennedy, from leaving.

"You can't be serious about this can you?" said Norris. "You're two weeks out of the re-hab clinic, in a wheelchair, and now you want to stand in the General Election?"

Kennedy swung his wheelchair round so he was facing his young charge.

"I'm very serious." he said. "I'm fed up with just sitting around and doing nothing. A few months ago I was the leader of the foremost crime-fighting organisation in Europe, and as Mr. X I was respected throughout the country. Now, thanks to a hunk of machine I'm nothing more than a cripple. I've got to do this. I've got to prove it to myself. I must do this. It's probably the only way I can stop Anglo-Force from disintegrating."

Gary Seven sat behind the desk in his office. His car, Isis, was curled up on the sofa. Seven reached down over to the front of his desk where a pen holder was situation. He pulled down one of the pens and the huge bookcase to his right began to swing around, revealing a large computer behind it. The computer switched itself on.

"Computer, recognise Gary Seven, access code 437 point 29."

"Access code recognised. It has been a long time Mr. Seven."

"Computer, give me the current location of Lewis Anderson, Steven Solo and Arthur Pendragon."

"Lewis Anderson and Steven Solo are currently situated at the Anglo-Force headquarters in Surrey. Arthur Pendragon is at the Old Bailey in London."

"Give current location of Simon Kennedy and James Watt."

"Simon Kennedy is in a car moving towards south-west London. Whereabouts of James Watt unknown."

"Understandable with James Watt, considering the current situation. I might as well try this. Give current location of Phineas Magus."

"Current location of Phineas Magus unknown."

Seven paused for a moment.

"We will start with Arthur Pendragon first. He is the most rational of the current Anglo-Force members. Computer, if the location of either James Watt or Phineas Magus is discovered then contact me straight away."

Seven reached over to the front of his desk again, and the computer was gone. The giant metal door then opened again, and Seven walked toward it. He then turned toward the sofa.

"Are you coming Isis? We have a lot of work to do."

The black cat leapt into Seven's arms. The strange mist appeared again, and Seven walked into it. A few minutes later Seven stood outside the Old Bailey. He went inside, and soon found what he was looking for. The proceedings in number two court had just been adjourned for the day, and the court began to clear. Out of the court walked Arthur Pendragon, garbed in the traditional dress of a solicitor. He was talking to one of his colleagues when Seven approached him.

"Mr. Pendragon, may I speak with you?"

Pendragon was surprised to see a cat in Seven's arms.

"Animals are not allowed in the Old Bailey mister…?"

"Seven, Gary Seven. Let me show you my identification."

Seven reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He showed it to Pendragon.

"MI5." said Pendragon. "We'd better go to my chambers. We can talk in private there."

The Russian Supreme Court building was alive with activity. Today the trial of Katrina Velichev, AKA Red Sun, was taking place. She was charged with treason. Security was very tight. The public gallery inside the courtroom was full of reporters. Then, Velichev was brought in, her hands bound by cuffs. She was placed in a special cage that had been constructed for the trial. The judge called the court to order. He sat in his seat and noticed that only the prosecuting solicitor was present.

"Where is the counsel for the defence?" he asked.

Then, the door to the courtroom swung open. Velichev was surprised to see who walked in. The short, bespectacled old man walked up to where the judge was sitting.

"Phineas Magus, appearing for the defence."

"You are not Russian." said the judge. "Where are your credentials?"

Magus reached into his inside pocket and pulled out some papers. He handed them to the judge.

"This is impossible!" he said. "These papers state that you gained your licence in 1896!"

"I was granted a licence to practice law here in Russia by the tsar himself." said Magus. "I have checked, and it is still valid today."

The prosecutor, Igor Blokhin, stood up.

"I object. I was not informed of this counsel change."

"I was asked to take the case by Andrei Sergeyev at the last minute, due to illness. I am well versed with the case."

"Very well." said the judge. "I will have to check your credentials, Mr. Magus. This court is now in recess. I adjourn for one hour."

"Thank you, your honour. And it's Doctor Magus."

A few minutes later Velichev sat in her cell. Magus was soon let in.

"It's good to see you, Doctor. Did James ask you to come here?"

"James knows nothing of this. He has enough problems of his own at the moment, and I must take the blame for a few of them."

"Well what hope is there for me?"

"The only evidence they have is circumstantial, and there is one thing that may count in your favour, your unborn child!"

Gary Seven sat in the chambers of Arthur Pendragon at the Old Bailey. Pendragon had just finished removing his robes and his wig.

"Well, Mr. Seven, what is it you would like to talk to me about?"

"You are the solicitor for Anglo-Force, are you not?"

"I have been since they were officially funded by the government."

"MI5 are worried about their current crisis. This is only one of a long line of incidents. The Red Sun affair, the disappearance of Dr. Phineas Magus, the resignation of Captain James Watt, and the attack on London by Woodwose. My superiors believe that unless something is done soon Anglo-Force could pose a threat to national security."

"What are you trying to tell me, Mr. Seven?"

"What I'm trying to tell you is that Anglo-Force could have a bad apple in the bunch. Ever since Chameleon took over as leader they seem to have gone from bad to worse. They have lost four team members within the past seven months, and they have done nothing to recruit replacements. And in recent weeks Chameleon as shown, how shall I put it, militant tendencies."

"Are you saying that Chameleon is a threat?"

"He could be. There is one more thing you should know. You obviously know that there is an election in a month. I happen to know that the leader of the opposition is in favour of the Anglo-Force project, but will only continue with it on two conditions."

"Which are?"

"That Chameleon is replaced as leader, and that Captain James Watt be reinstated as leader."

**CHAPTER TWO**

Arthur Pendragon stormed into Anglo-Force's headquarters. He was not a happy man. He marched into the living quarters and he soon found the person he was looking for, Lewis Anderson, the Chameleon.

"Do you know who I just spent the afternoon with?" Pendragon asked.

"You tell me!" said Anderson.

"With a man from MI5. It seems that we could be in a lot of trouble if the government lose the election."

"What are you running on about?"

"MI5 are worried about our current situation. They are worried about our lack of effort in finding replacement members. They are worried about your tenure as leader."

Anderson went to leave the room.

"It's nothing to worry about. We've been through worse before. It can't be worse than the Black Squadron, or Moriarty!"

"The Black Squadron didn't threaten to cut off our funding!"

Gary Seven sat at his desk. His cat, Isis, sat in front of him.

"Computer, have you located James Watt and Phineas Magus?"

"To locate the subjects I will need twice as much power."

"Then take the power."

"To do so would black out half of London."

"Then try to find the power from somewhere else."

Then, the computer sprang to life.

"Location of James Watt established. Subject currently located on Muir Island."

For the past few years Muir Island had been the European base of operations for Professor Charles Xavier, the leading authority in the world on homo-superior, or mutants. The facility was funded by Warren Worthington, himself a mutant. To the outside world this building was known as "The School for the Gifted". It was, in fact, the place where Xavier trained mutants. It was this place that James Watt had travelled to. During his battle with Woodwose he had discovered new-found powers, and in the absence of Magus he sought counsel with Xavier.

Watt stood in a room with metal walls. Xavier overlooked the proceedings from the observation booth. Xavier activated the computer.

"I will start off at phase one of the test." said Xavier.

Xavier threw a switch. A hatchway opened in the ceiling. A huge weight fell from the ceiling. Watt caught it with one hand and lowered it to the ground.

"How heavy was that one?" Watt asked.

"Three thousand pounds."

"It felt as light as a feather."

Xavier threw another switch. Another weight came from above. Again, Watt held it with one hand.

"Remarkable." said Xavier. "That weight was ten thousand pounds."

"Magus estimated that I could lift in excess of three hundred tonnes."

The two moved outside. Xavier sat in his wheelchair two hundred metres from Watt. Xavier signalled to him. He held a stopwatch in front of him, but before he could start it Watt stood in front of him.

"Incredible, less than a second. What speed did Magus estimate?"

"At last count mach three."

"I have a feeling that you are just about to find out about the true extent of your powers."

"But why, Professor? Why are they just about beginning to surface?"

"You are a neo-mutant, James. "Ordinary" mutants have many years to get accustomed to their powers. You have had less than a year. Your "new" powers are beginning to appear faster than you can handle them. Without the proper guidance and training you could be in great danger."

Two days later the opposition party announced their candidates for the forthcoming General Election. The most interesting, from Anglo-Force's point of view, was their candidate for the London South-West constituency, one Simon Kennedy. The party's leader, Neil Smith, was adamant that Kennedy could defeat the sitting M.P., the Home Secretary, Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman, despite his large majority.

The Supreme Court building in Moscow was once again a hive of activity. The reporters had gathered outside, awaiting the departure of Katrina Velichev and her defence counsel, Phineas Magus. The charges against Velichev had been dropped, due to lack of evidence. All of the evidence pointed to the members of the Russian Nightmares, who were still at large, and not to Red Sun. Soon the two of them appeared in the open. The reporters swarmed around them, asking they various questions. Magus soon ushered Velichev into a waiting car, and they were soon on their way.

"So what happens next?" asked Magus.

"I would like to return to Britain." said Katrina. "To be with James."

"That could pose a problem." said Magus. "James is under some pressure at the moment. He must not be distracted in any way. If he is it could cost him dearly."

Gary Seven watched the television report from Moscow. It seemed that a chance presented itself to him.

"Perhaps it is time to make my presence known to Dr. Magus."

Seven once again entered his transporter with his cat, Isis. He soon stood in the streets of Moscow. Isis jumped to the ground as Seven took out a small tracking instrument from his pocket. He held it in the air. After a minute or so he adjusted the setting.

"Damn! I can find no trace of Magus whatsoever."

Seven returned to London. His computer could also find no trace of the elusive wizard.

A few hours passed until Seven journey to Muir Island via his transporter. He materialized only a few metres away from the building. He walked around to the front entrance. As usual Isis was with him. As he was about to knock on the door it opened. He was greeted by a burly looking gentleman.

"Who are you?" he asked in a thick Russian accent. "What are you doing here?"

"I understand Captain James Watt is currently staying here. I must speak with him."

"That is impossible. He is indisposed. He is under the care of Professor Xavier."

"Then may I speak with him then? It is very important."

"That is also impossible."

"I cannot be detained much longer."

Seven pushed his way past the huge Russian and matched into the building. At that moment a glow appeared around the huge man, and within a second his flesh had been replaced by steel, his strength had increased a hundred-fold. The Russian, in fact, was the mighty Colossus. He walked after Seven and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I told you they are both unavailable."

Seven took another instrument from out of his pocket and held it in front of Colossus' head. There was a slight hum, then the mighty Russian froze in his tracks. Seven continued on his way down the corridor, in search of James Watt. Then, suddenly, he heard a huge scream. It came from the end of the corridor. He opened the door at the end of the passage and he was surprised by the sight that greeted him. He was now in what appeared to be the infirmary, but there was only one bed in this room. On that bed lay James Watt. But what was strange about him was the eerie glow that surrounded him. There was also a look of complete and utter terror in his eyes. Watt let out another huge cry of pain. Xavier sat in his wheelchair next to the bed. His eyes were closed, and his right hand was on his temple. He was trying to sooth Watt's pain.

"Be calm, James. The pain will pass."

"What's going on here?" boomed Seven.

Xavier opened his eyes.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"My name is not important. I must speak with Captain Watt."

"Captain Watt is in no state to speak with anyone. Now please leave this room before I have you escorted out."

"I'm not leaving until I get some answers."

Xavier closed his eyes. After a few seconds he opened them again.

"It can't be. I've heard of your kind and your race. But I never thought I would meet one of your kind. My apologies, Mr. Seven."

"You know where I'm from?"

"I have heard of your kind. I have heard that you try to set things right with the world, and I know why you want to speak with Captain Watt. But I'm afraid he is in no state to speak with anyone."

"Why? What's happening to him?"

"Captain Watt is undergoing a physical change. His body is finally beginning to cope with the cavourite contamination he was exposed to in his accident nearly a year ago. His entire cell structure is changing to fit his new-found powers. They are altering so they can cope with his immortality!"

"How long will this change take?"

"I don't know. It could be a matter of hours before the change is complete. But even after that he will still be too weak to speak to you. I only wish that Dr. Magus was here. He is more of an expert on Captain Watt's condition. I have never encountered a case like this before."

The election campaign had begun in earnest. The opinion polls had the government only two percentage points ahead of the opposition. The polls also gave Simon Kennedy no chance against Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman.

Gary Seven had returned to his office several hours later. It was now the early hours of the morning, and he paced up and down the room. He tried to plan his next move. What could he do next? He had spoken to Arthur Pendragon, but perhaps turning Chameleon's friends against him was the wrong tactic. He had wanted to speak to James Watt, but Watt was in no condition to speak to anyone. He had almost found Dr. Magus, but Magus had vanished again, before Seven could speak to him. What other tactic could he now use? Then, it hit him.

"That's it!" he cried. "I've been going about this the wrong way. Maybe there is something in his past!"

Seven walked over to his computer and activated it.

"Computer, give me full personal history on Lewis Anderson, also known as Chameleon."

A few seconds later the computer screen came to life.

"Lewis Charles Anderson, born 17th July, 1976. Current age twenty-six. Father Henry Arthur Anderson, civil engineer. Mother Carol Samantha Anderson, home-maker. Henry Anderson arrested six times for taking part in demonstrations organised by the British Nationalist Party. Has served a total of three years in prison."

"I can't hold him responsible for the actions of his father, even if he is a racist."

"Attended Manchester University on an engineering scholarship. Was known to be involved in the University Front, a group that opposed the registration of students from ethnic minorities."

"Interesting. Perhaps he is like his father. I wonder why Anglo-Force did not know about this this?"

"Was suspended from university after taking part in a racial demonstration. Was saved by expulsion by his grandfather."

"Ah, the millionaire. It seems that power still corrupts, even in the 21st century."

"On leaving university joined his father's civil engineering form."

"This is all pretty tame. He has shown some racial tendencies as a teenager, but that's probably because of the influence of his father."

Then the computer paused as it linked to the computers of the national press.

"What is the delay?"

"Am conducting search of said subject in the national media."

A few more seconds passed. Then an image appeared on the screen.

"What is this?"

"A newspaper photograph of the London Race Riots, 4th March, 1997."

The computer began to highlight faces on the photograph. It circled the first face.

"Subject identified as Henry Anderson."

It then began the search again. It circled another face. A slight smile appeared on Seven's face.

"Subject identified as…"

"Lewis Anderson. I remember reading about those riots. Fourteen black youths died as a result of that riot. I wonder how the government would feel knowing that the leader of their foremost crime fighting team was involved in a race riot nearly three years ago?"

**CHAPTER THREE**

Gary Seven spent the rest of the night trying to find more information about Lewis Anderson. It was now obvious that he was involved in a race riot that fourteen blacks had died in, but was he actually involved in any of the killings? That was still unknown. Now he had two options. He could either present his evidence to Anderson himself, and hope that he would resign, or go to the Prime Minister, Simon Harkes, and hope that he would force Anderson to resign.

Professor Xavier moved through the corridors of his Muir Island mansion until he came to the infirmary. He released the computer lock, and the door opened. He was amazed at what he found inside. Watt was still lying on the bed, and he was still in a weakened state, but it was who was standing over Watt that surprised Xavier, it was Magus. Magus had his hand placed on Watt's head.

"You're the last person I expected to find here." said Xavier.

Magus motioned for Xavier to stay silent. After a few seconds Magus removed his hand from Watt's head. Xavier moved towards him.

"I found no way to help him with his pain." said Xavier. "All I could tell was that he was going through some sort of physical change."

"He would not have been able to go through this change without your help, Charles." said Magus. "He is still very weak, but he will return to full strength in a few days."

"What exactly is the change he is going through?"

"He is developing powerful abilities. His strength and speed are increasing rapidly. He is becoming intangible, almost totally invulnerable. And, my first estimate as to his aging process was slightly off. Instead of aging one year every fifty, I estimate it to be one year every thousand!"

Simon Harkes was on the campaign trail. His campaign bus pulled into it's next stop at a local television station in the north of England. He was due to take part in a local debate programme. A few minutes after arriving and greeting the various heads at the station he was taken into one of the dressing rooms. His press secretary left him alone in the room when he received a telephone call. As Harkes was reading the speech he was due to give at a dinner later that evening he heard a sound behind him. At first he paid no heed to it, and continued to read his speech, but then he heard the sound again. He turned around to see a man standing behind him. The man was Gary Seven.

"Who are you?" asked Harkes. "How did you get in here?"

"My name is unimportant." said Seven. "The information I have for you is, however, very important, and it could have an outcome on this election."

Seven held up a file.

"In this folder is some interesting information regarding the leader of Anglo-Force, Chameleon. All I way say is that if he remains as leader he could become a liability for your government, should you be re-elected."

Seven handed the folder to Harkes.

"You still haven't told me who you are." said Harkes.1

"Let's just say that I'm a concerned citizen."

Seven then made his exit through a back entrance.

Watt was just about to come round. At first he could hardly see, because everything was still a daze. Then, slowly, his eyesight returned. He was surprised at the first face he saw. It was a smile he could recognise anywhere, the smile of the woman he loved, Katrina Velichev.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Russia, awaiting trial."

"My case was thrown out, due to lack of evidence."

Watt looked around, and then saw the bulge under Katrina's dress.

"Looks like the prison food in Russia is better than in this country!" Watt smiled.

"It is not food, it is…your son!"

Watt's expression changed to one of amazement. A broad smile then appeared on his face. He reached out and touched Katrina's stomach. Watt then noticed a familiar figure standing in the corner, the figure of one Dr. Magus. Magus walked over to him.

"Be still, James. Your body has undergone a drastic change, and you are still very weak. You must rest, because when you regain your strength we have much ground to cover."

A week passed. Simon Harkes studied very carefully the information given to him by Gary Seven. He put his top men on the job to see if it was true. The news got back to Harkes that it was. Harkes then had several meetings with his top advisors, discussing what they should do. Then, the worst possible thing happened. Somehow the story of Chameleon's past leaked to the press, and they had a field day. Many candidates, including some in Harkes' party, spoke out against Chameleon and called for his immediate resignation. Reporters gathered outside the grounds of the Anglo-Force mansion. This was a bigger story than the Red Sun affair. The main question was how could a possible racist get to be leader of Britain's foremost crime fighting force, and how come the information was not known until now? Perhaps they should pointed their fingers to a planet many thousands of light years away.

The revelations were clearly damaging to the government, but they were especially helpful to Simon Kennedy in his attempt to become an M.P. for London South-West. In that area the impossible seemed to be happening. Kennedy was actually overtaking Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman in popularity. He was now three percentage points ahead of the Home Secretary.

Another week passed, but still there was no word from the Anglo-Force mansion, and, as predicted, this was hurting the government's chances of re-election. They had dropped five percentage points, giving the opposition a four point lead. Then, after a further two days, a written statement was given to the awaiting media by the Anglo-Force solicitor, Arthur Pendragon. It was a long drawn out statement, but basically it said one thing, Lewis Anderson, the Chameleon, had resigned as leader. It seems that the last two remaining members, Star Man and White Knight, had put a lot of pressure on him. But did the resignation come too late for the government? The election was now just over a week away. A damage limitation exercise was put in place. The opposition was playing heavily on this. A day after the resignation it was announced that the file on the race riots was being re-opened by the Department of Public Prosecutions. It was first thought that Arthur Pendragon would be placed in charge of this inquiry, but he declined the offer, citing a conflict of interests.

Gary Seven walked around his office, gathering up his equipment and preparing to leave for his home. He walked over to his computer and began to erase his files. Then, as he went to leave the room, he noticed someone standing at the window. It was Magus. Magus then walked through the window.

"May I speak with you?" Magus asked.

"I am preparing to leave." said Seven. "I have a long journey ahead of me."

"I know. But I would like to thank you for all you have done. You have secured the future of Anglo-Force, for possibly many years. They were in great danger of self-destructing under Chameleon's command."

"These events could have been avoided if you hadn't disappeared. In a way you are responsible for my returning to Earth."

"Are you saying that I should have stayed here? It was clear that I was not wanted."

"I'm not so sure. Many people had placed their faith in you. Many of them would have died for you. If not for you none of this would have happened. Sure, the Black Squadron would have attacked the Anglo-Force mansion, and Woodwose would still have been attacked by that alien device, but those events would have been less severe had you stuck around. An I don't think I need to remind you that James Watt nearly died while you were away. Charles Xavier is a capable man, but he is nothing compared to one of the Istari.

"There are many people who depend on you. One with a power like yours can't just run away when someone loses faith in him. They have to re-affirm that faith. Now, if you don't mind, I have a train to catch."

Seven walked over to his transporter. Magus placed a hand on Seven's shoulder.

"You are probably right, Mr. Seven. I was wrong to disappear, but now I'm back, and I intend to do anything I can to keep Anglo-Force together. And we could certainly use someone with your unique abilities."

Seven turned round to faced Magus.

"Are you trying to recruit me, Doctor?"

Election day had arrived. The turnout was one of the highest in democratic history. Both main parties were confident of victory, with Simon Harkes and Neil Smith predicting victory for themselves. It was a long and drawn out wait for those involved. Needless to say many fingernails were trimmed on this evening. Many marginal seats that were held by the government were won by the opposition. Then the result came in from London South-West. What many thought would be impossible happened. Simon Kennedy, a wheelchair-bound retired super-hero, had beaten the seemingly unbeatable Sir Angus Campbell-Bannerman, but only by a majority of thirty-seven votes. Naturally Mr, Kennedy was very happy, and he had indeed made history, becoming the first wheelchair-bound member of parliament. Then, almost twenty-four hours after the polls had first opened, and late because of several recounts from around the country, the result was in. The government had lost. The opposition had won with a majority of twenty-three seats. It seemed that the Chameleon incident had indeed been damaging to the government. It probably cost them victory. Neil Smith was asked by the King to form a government. The question was, however, would there be a place for a rookie M.P. with some leadership experience?


	5. 5: The Telepathic Policeman

**CHAPTER ONE**

The new Prime Minister, Neil Smith, sat in his new surroundings at 10 Downing Street. Many papers lay on the desk in front of him. He was putting the final touches to his first cabinet. Then, a call came through from his secretary.

"Mr. Smith, Mr. Kennedy is here to see you."

"Show him in please."

A few seconds passed. Smith was surprised to see Simon Kennedy, one of the newest M.P.'s in Westminster, entering the room not in a wheelchair but on a pair of crutches.

"Before you ask." said Kennedy. "I decided to give these things a try. After all, my wheelchair can't get up the back benches, can it?"

Kennedy sat in the chair opposite Smith.

"Simon, I have a special job for you in my government, one I think is well suited to you, considering your past employment."

"You mean my stint as Mr. X, don't you? I hope you haven't told anyone else about that."

"Don't worry Simon, your secret is safe in my hands. What I am saying is that I want you to become Home Secretary."

Kennedy rubbed his chin.

"I don't know Neil. It's such a big step. I've only been an M.P. for a couple of weeks."

"But I think you have the skills to succeed, Simon. Since the inception of the Anglo-Force project the Home Secretary's job has become doubly important. The Home Secretary has become a sort of over-seer to Anglo-Force, defining policy for that organisation. Now, in their current troubles, they need someone to show them the way, point them in the right direction, put them back on the right track as it were. I believe you are the man who could do that."

"I'm still not sure about this. There are many more experienced me or women in the party who could do this job. Why not choose one of them?"

"Because you were on the inside once. You know what it takes to run an organisation such as Anglo-Force. And I'm sure they would respect someone like you, a former leader of theirs. So, what do you say? Will you take me up on my offer?"

Kennedy thought for a few moments.

"When can I start?"

It was indeed a time of change for Anglo-Force. Officially they now numbered only two, Star Man and White Knight, but that as all about to change. Star Man and White Knight sat at the table in the conference room.

"In our current situation we have no choice." said White Knight. "We need James Watt."

"I'm afraid James is in no condition to take command at the moment." said Magus. "He is still somewhat weak from his physical changes. It may be some time before he takes you up on your offer."

"And what about Red Sun?" asked Star Man. "She was an asset when she was with us."

"I definitely think you can rule her out for a while." said Magus. "A battle with some mad villain is no place for a pregnant woman."

"And with your former Warriors ruled out because of their studies that leaves only one other option." said White Knight. "We must find new members!"

Dentonville Prison, in the south-west of England, was now fully operational. The complex, designed and built by Muir Industries, was designed to house the most dangerous and powerful villains that were captured by the law enforcement agencies, most notably Anglo-Force. Some of the current residents included the former members of the Black Squadron, Dr. Theophilus and Celsius, the Monstron, Colonel Chaney, and in the infirmary the man-beast Woodwose.

It was on this day that the new head of the super-powered crime fighting unit, newly-promoted Chief Inspector Paul Solo was making an inspection of the new facility. He was being shown around by the head of Muir Industries, Jock Muir. The two of them walked down one of the detention wings.

"Is is possible for us to hold up to five hundred super-criminals at any one time." said Muir.

"I hear that the government considered using a new system that they use in America." said Solo.

"Aye." Muir replied. "But the Prime Minister vetoed the idea. I agree with him. The idea of putting these creeps in stasis, so they won't age, makes my stomach churn."

They continued on their tour. Solo was very impressed with the complex.

"So tell me." said Solo. "How do you power all of this? It must be a drain on the national power grid."

"Come with me."

Muir led Solo into an elevator. The elevator took them far below the ground. When the elevator stopped Solo was amazed at what he saw. It was another huge complex, to rival the size of the one above.

"Welcome to Dentonville's own source of power." said Muir. "The first nuclear power station to be built underground!"

"I didn't know such a thing was possible."

"It has been for a number of years, but this is the first time the funds have been made available. After all, this is a joint effort between the government, Muir Industries and Phineas Magus!"

The enormity of the underground cavern amazed Solo, but he did have one reservation.

"What would happen if there was some sort of accident with the nuclear reactor?" he asked. "A meltdown, or something else."

"A back-up plan would be implemented. We have a small cavourite generator that could be used. We don't use it now because it costs too darn much to run, almost three times the cost of our nuclear reactor."

"The government has save some money somewhere then!" laughed Solo.

Muir and Solo then went back to the elevator, and began to return to the surface. Muir pressed the appropriate button, and the lift started to move. But it was moving slower than it should. Muir again pressed the button, but the lift stopped altogether.

"What's wrong?" asked Solo.

"I don't know." said Muir.

Muir reached for the telephone. The line was dead.

"I don't understand." he said.

The lights inside the lift went out. A slight cracking sound could then be heard from above."

"That sound." said Muir. "It sounds like it's coming from the cable above."

Muir was right. The lift cable was very close to snapping. A few seconds later it did, and the left was sent plummeting back towards the underground cavern. The force of the drop flung Muir and Solo to the floor of the life. Seconds later the lift crashed to the bottom with a resounding thud. Solo was sent flying against the wall of the lift, and he hit his head badly. The impact rendered him unconscious. Muir escaped without injury.

Slowly, Paul Solo began to regain his senses. At first things seemed a little misty, a little hazy. The last thing he remembered was being in the lift with Jock Muir at Dentonville Prison. His eyesight then began to clear. He was no longer lying on the floor of the lift, he was in a bed. He could tell from the antiseptic smell that he was in a hospital. Slowly he began to sit up. He looked around. He was in a room by himself. Then he saw a face through the window of the door. It was a nurse. The face was soon gone, but a few seconds later the door opened. The nurse walked in, and she was closely followed by an Asian doctor.

"Where am I?" Solo asked. "What happened?"

"It's okay, Inspector Solo." said the doctor. "You're in hospital. You took a blow to your head. For a while it was touch and go, but you've obviously pulled through."

The nurse took Solo's pulse.

"How long have I been out?" Solo asked.

"About ten days." the doctor replied. "You were in a coma for four of those. After that your concussion seemed to heal at a remarkable rate."

"Concussion?"

"Yes, sustained in the lift accident. You were transferred here to Guy's after a day."

Solo shook his head.

"It may seem a bit confusing now, Inspector. Perhaps you'd better get some rest."

Solo lay down on the bed. He was a bit disorientated. He was soon asleep.

Solo was released from hospital two days later. He had made remarkable progress. It was first thought he would be in hospital for a further month.

After a few days at home he began to get bored. Solo was the sort of person who always had to be doing something, so he decided to pay a visit to his friends at Scotland Yard. He walked into the CID room. He was greeted by many of his fellow officers who were pleased to see him well and back on his feet again. He then saw one of his oldest police friends, Inspector Lewis. Solo knew Lewis from years back, when they had gone through training together. Lewis did not look happy.

"What's wrong?" Solo asked. "Strain of the job?"

"Strain of this bloody case." Lewis replied.

Lewis handed Solo the file.

"The Sanders Murder?" Solo queried.

"Yeah. No murder weapon, a well-liked man, no enemies. Nothing missing from his flat. He was just found lying at home with five stab wounds."

"I've got a couple of theories about that." said Solo. "Mind if I take a look at the scene?"

"Are you sure? You are up to it, aren't you?"

"I've never felt better."

The two drove to the flat in north London. Although the building was no longer sealed off the flat in which the murder occurred still was. Lewis unlocked the door.

"I shouldn't really be doing this." said Lewis. "After all, this is no longer your department."

They walked into the flat.

"As you can see." said Lewis. "Nothing has been disturbed or taken. The body was found there."

Lewis pointed to a spot in the centre of the room. Solo walked over that that spot, and kneeled down. It was then that something happened. There was a sudden on-rush of emotion into Solo's mind. Images began to appear inside his head. At first they seemed very hazy, then they began to clear. Solo could see the murder victim standing in the room, talking on the telephone. The word fraud began to ring out throughout his mind. It seemed that was the only word the victim was saying on the phone. Then he saw another man in the room with the victim. He could see clearly that this man had a knife in his hand. The man walked over to the victim. The victim turned around. It as then that it happened. He was stabbed repeatedly. The victim was shocked and let out no cry of pain. He then slumped to the ground, in the centre of the room. He then saw the other man walk over to the cocktail cabinet, pull the entire thing away from the wall, and put the knife under the carpet. He then put the cabinet back in place. It was then that Solo saw the man's face. He knew this man. He was a well known city financier, Peter Johnson. Solo knew of this man from various television reports.

"Is everything alright?" Lewis asked.

Solo did not reply. He walked over to the cocktail cabinet.

"Better not drink anything from there." Lewis said. "That could be evidence."

Solo began to move the cabinet away from the wall. He then pulled the carpet up. He then saw a blood-splattered knife.

"I think this is your murder weapon." said Solo.

"But how…?"

"May I also suggest you try to contact Peter Johnson, a friend of the victim. I believe he is involved in insider trading and killed Sanders to stop him from talking."

They returned to Scotland Yard. Peter Johnson was brought in for questioning. After a few hours Johnson confessed to the killing. A case that seemed unsolvable was solved in a matter of minutes by Solo. How he had done it he did not know. He was adept in the art of deduction but he had never been able to solve a crime like this before. This concerned him greatly. He did not know what to do.

**CHAPTER TWO**

Solo stood before an impressive looking mansion some thirty miles north of London. As he walked up the gravel drive to the house the front door swung open to reveal Toombs, the butler of Dr. Magus. He showed the Inspector into a beautifully furnished drawing room and left. Solo seated himself on the leather sofa and gazed around the room. In many ways it reminded him of Magus' study at Craigmillar. It had some gothic bookcases, the same huge mahogany desk to one side. As he sat there he heard a voice behind him.

"Hello, Inspector. Welcome to Raven Hall."

Solo spun around to see Magus gazing idly out of the window.

"Where did you come from?"

Magus smiled.

"Through the wall. It's a trick I sometimes use at board meetings. Scares the hell out of everyone. Quite funny really."

"I didn't come here to play games, Magus. I need your help."

"I know."

"How can you? I haven't told anyone about my problem."

"My dear Solo, I am not just an amiable old man who can do magic. You are not worthy of the title of the Istari if that is the case. There is very little that I do not know. As your car approached my house I could hear your thoughts. You were broadcasting them quite clearly. You will have to be taught to shield them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your accident has given you E.S.P. Clairvoyance, if you like. It's a rather basic skill for one such as myself, but rather unusual for a human. You will need to be tutored in how best to deal with these new abilities."

"You will help me?"

"I will do what I can, but I will not be able to help you all the way. It will become necessary to enlist the help of others as we proceed."

Magus and Toombs led Solo into a guest room. As the two of them left Teddy trotted in.

"Why is Inspector Solo here?"

"He has developed E.S.P. after an accident."

"I sense that this causes you some concern."

"I must help him to use his abilities. But it may only take another blow to remove these powers."

Jock Muir walked through the corridors of Dentonville Prison. He was at the prison trying to determine what the cause of the lift accident was. So far he could only come up with one answer, power failure. He also hoped that Paul Solo would not sue him for damages.

As he walked past the infirmary he happened to glance through the transparent doors. This was the room that Woodwose was kept in. He was always kept under sedation, but as Muir walked past he saw someone else in the room. Muir did not recognise him. It certainly wasn't one of the doctors. The man had his hands placed on Woodwose's head. Muir walked into the infirmary.

"Who are you, and what the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

The stranger shot him an icy stare. He then stood upright. He stood about six feet tall, and had short black hair. He was dressed in a sort of black and red uniform.

"Who I am, and what I am doing here, is of no concern to you…at the present time that is. If you get your doctors to look at this renegade Monstron they will find that I have repaired his brain. I have done so because he will be needed in the near future. His health is of the utmost importance to me. He must be fit to take part in my 'experiment'."

"Experiment? What do you mean?"

"All will become clear, Mr. Muir. Or should I perhaps call you…Stingray?"

"How do you know about my past?"

Before the stranger could answer he snapped his fingers and there was a flash of light. A second later and he was gone.

Several hours passed. Woodwose began to come around. As he awoke he saw the small figure of Dr. Magus standing above him.

"Easy my friend." said Magus.

"What happened?" asked Woodwose. "The last thing I remember is being in my quarters at the mansion. After that everything is a blur."

"It's a long story. I will explain it to you later, but first I must examine you."

A slight glow appeared around Magus' hand. He moved it up and down Woodwose's body.

"Your injuries have been healed. I can find no trace of the brain damage you suffered. But how…?"

Then Solo, who had travelled to Dentonville with Magus, entered the infirmary.

"Security system checks out. However they got in they got in without setting off the alarm."

Solo then walked further into the room. He then appeared to stagger slightly. He placed his hand on his head.

"What's wrong?" asked Magus.

"I feel something." Solo replied. "Suddenly feel so strange. Never felt anything like this before. A powerful force…too much for me to handle!"

Solo clasped his head and let out a huge cry of pain. He then slumped to the ground. Magus rushed over to him. He then checked Solo's brainwave pattern. What Magus had suspected was true. A powerful force had entered the prison. Would Magus and his allies have to keep their part of a deal, a deal that only Magus knew about?


	6. 6: The Alien

**CHAPTER ONE**

The wreck lay smouldering in the Hertfordshire countryside. For some unexplained reason this aircraft had crashed, and it's pilot had just barely escaped with his life intact. What was different about this aircraft was that it was not of this planet. This space-craft, or UFO as others would call it, had suffered major instrument malfunction, and it was taken way off-course. The main hatchway blew, and from inside the crashed aircraft what appeared to be a man staggered out. The man looked human in appearance. He looked around. It was bitterly cold. The first snow storm of the winter had fallen two days earlier. It reminded him of his home, except his home was much colder. Then, a red glow appeared around the alien. It was his way of keeping warm, a natural ability that all of his race had developed. It was the only way to keep warm on an ice planet. He looked out into the distance, and he could see some lights, the lights of the nearest town. He decided to journey to that town. Maybe he would find someone who could help him. His ship was a total write off. Only a few things could be salvaged. His radio was shot. He had no was of contacting his own world. He was on this planet, alone, and had no way of returning home.

Steven Solo sat in the monitor room at the Anglo-Force mansion. He was busy checking the instruments. Arthur Pendragon sat next to him, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. He did not enjoy being woken at two in the morning.

"I tell you, Arthur, there was something there. This radar system is far more powerful than the one used by the RAF. There was a UFO flying over Hertfordshire!"

"But can't this wait until the morning? I've got an important meeting with the new Home Secretary at ten. I've got a lot of preparation to see to."

"But this may be our only chance to contact alien life!"

"Then you go alone. I'm going back to bed!"

Pendragon walked slowly out of the monitor room. Solo got up from his chair and picked up a small tracking device. After linking it to the main computer he went upstairs to his quarters. A few seconds later he flew out of the window, now in the guise of Star Man. As he flew off towards Hertfordshire Dr. Magus stood in the grounds of the mansion, watching Star Man fly off into the distance. He too had sensed something, but his senses were far more powerful than the ones in the monitor room. He knew exactly what had crashed in the countryside, a visitor from another world!

The alien had walked for an hour before he reached the small town. He walked down the high street, constantly looking around at the surroundings, taking in this world that was alien to him. He saw two youths in the distance. They saw him too. Each had a can of beer in their hand. The alien stopped when the youths approached him. They were obviously very drunk. The alien looked confused when the youths burst out laughing and started pointing at him.

"Cor, look Pete!" Looks like some reject from a sixties space show!"

"You ought to get with the present mate! You look like some bloody alien in that get up!"

The youths pushed past him and continued laughing. The alien looked at his clothes, and then looked at the ones worn by the youths. He then walked after the youths. He soon caught up to them. He placed his hands on their shoulders and spun them round. They were shocked to see who had stopped them.

"Your clothes. I want them."

The youths looked confused. The beer had obviously got to them. But a few seconds later they were in no position to object. The beer had definitely got to them. The alien had decided to keep his own clothes on and took the coats and trousers of one of the youths and put them on. He then made sure that the youth did not freeze in the snow. He picked up a small rock, and using his power he heated it and placed it in the hand of the youth. He then continued on his way.

Star Man had arrived at the crash site. The wreckage was still smouldering from the fire. He got nearer to the wreckage. He could easily tell it wasn't your average type of aircraft. He then saw the blown hatchway and decided to look inside. Carefully he stepped inside. It was almost completely burnt out. He went further inside. He saw only the one seat and the one bed. Obviously a one man craft. He checked further but could find no sign of life. He then went back outside and looked around the immediate area. No sigh of life anywhere. Then he saw the lights of the town in the distance. If there was any alien aboard that craft it would have obviously headed for the nearest sign of life. He then took to the air and headed toward the town. As he did he saw another aircraft in the distance heading toward the town. He recognised the aircraft instantly. It, too, was from another planet, but it was not carrying a friendly passenger. It carried one that would mean big trouble for anyone in this area.

The alien had now made his way to the edge of town. He was now happy because he looked like any normal human, but he was still a bit cold. Then the red glow appeared around him again. Again, he was warm. He now stood and once again took in his surroundings. It was obvious he was not going to find help in this place. It was too small. It would have no equipment, nothing which he could use. So as he was now strong enough he decided to take to the skies. The red glow appeared around him, and slowly he began to rise from the ground. Slowly he got higher and higher until he could see the entire town from the sky. Then a look of shock horror appeared on his face as he saw the aircraft Star Man had seen a few minutes earlier. He, too, recognised it as a Predator ship, the Predator ship that had been hunting him all over the galaxy, the ship that had caused him to crash on the Earth. It now meant that he would have to defend himself against this threat once more. So he flew back towards the ground and took cover. The Predator ship landed not far away from him. The hatchway opened and a single, lone Predator departed from the ship. He looked around, searching for his prey. The Predator was armed to the teeth. He continued to scan the area. He looked toward the bushes. He adjusted his sensors. He had found his target. He raised his arm and a laser blast shot out from the device on his arm. The blast ripped into the nearby tree. There was a huge explosion, and the tree tumbled toward the ground. The alien barely had enough time to get out of the way. He flew through the air and landed on his back. The Predator moved towards him. He raised his other hand, which was holding a whirring blade. He raised his arm and prepared to bring it down on the alien, but the alien managed to get out of the way. He then got to his feet, pointed his hand at the Predator, and fired a burst of flame, which hit the Predator in the stomach. The Predator let out a huge cry of pain. It began to slump to the ground. He then extended his arm and fired another laser blast. The blast ripped through the alien's shoulder. Another blast ripped through his leg. It seemed as if the alien was helpless. The Predator got to his feet and walked toward the alien, who was in a tremendous amount of pain. The Predator again raised his blade, and again began to bring it down towards the alien, but just as he was about to make contact a blast of energy hit him from behind. The Predator was stunned. He turned round and saw the small figure of Dr. Magus standing in front of him. Mystical energy surrounded the wizard's hands. The Predator stared at Magus. He recognised the wizard. He also recognised the fact that he was only prepared to battle the alien and not a wizard. He knew that at this moment in time he would stand no chance against Magus. So he leapt into the sky, ignited his rocket pack and flew back towards his ship. He soon took off, but it was obvious he would return. Then, Magus walked over to the alien. He kneeled down and began to examine his wounds. The alien looked at him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Perhaps I should ask you the same question." Magus replied. "It is obvious you are not of this planet. What is your name?"

"Amarus. Ultare Amarus."

"Amarus? You're a Traxxon?"

"How do you know of Traxxor? Mine is the first ship to leave our sector. It is the first time a Traxxon craft has entered your sector of the galaxy."

"I have met a Traxxon before, but now is not the time to explain how. We must get away from here. I can't heal your injuries here."

Magus raised his hand, and Amarus began to rise from the ground. Just as they were about to leave Star Man arrived. A smile appeared on his face.

"You found the alien then." he said. "I never thought he would look so….human!"

"Now is not the time Mr. Solo." said Magus. "Our friend here is injured, and the Predator could return at any moment. We must return to the mansion."

"Where are you taking me?" Amarus asked.

"Somewhere safe." Magus replied. "I will treat your injuries, then you can tell me how you came to crash on Earth, and why a Predator is chasing you."

**CHAPTER TWO**

Ultare Amarus lay on one of the beds in the infirmary, resting. Outside the infirmary Magus, Star Man and White Knight discussed what to do with him.

"Shouldn't we call the MOD or something?" asked Star Man. He might be carrying some sort of alien disease or something."

"Traxxons are very similar to humans in physiology." said Magus. "I have detected no diseases in his system. The only thing wrong with him is those laser blast wounds. I fear his life is in great danger form the Predator. Predators are normally only drawn by conflict. There is no conflict between Earth and Traxxor, and I'm sure he's not involved in any of the smaller wars taking place on Earth at the moment."

"So what do we do?" asked White Knight.

"I suggest that you and Star Man take the sky-jet and go to the crash site." said Magus. "Try to salvage anything you can from his craft. Try to find anything that may tell us why the Predator is after him."

"But I have a meeting with Simon Kennedy in three hours." said White Knight.

"Postpone it." said Magus. "This man's life is in danger. That's more important than any meeting."

Star Man and White Knight went to the hangar. Magus re-entered the infirmary and walked over to the bed Amarus lay on. Amarus was awake.

"I think it's about time you told me everything." said Magus.

Amarus paused for a moment before he began.

"I left my home on Traxxor five years ago. I was one of the first to volunteer for our new space exploration program. So our ships could travel as far as possible it was decided to send one man on each vessel. After seven months of travelling through space I came upon this other vessel. I tried to contact it but I received no reply, so I decided to board it.

"What I found was a scene of grotesque magnitude. All of the crew of this vessel had been killed in the most horrible way imaginable, their throats cut, skinned. What I did not know was that their killer was still on board.

"My people had heard of the Predators, but none of us had ever seen one in person before. It attacked me, and I managed to return to my ship. The Predator must have mistaken me for one of those on board, and it followed me through countless star systems. I managed to stay ahead of it with my superior stellar drive, but when I entered your galaxy it attacked me. My guidance system, my weapons, drive system, were totally destroyed. I only just managed to limp to your planet."

"Are you saying that this Predator attacked you because you were on this ship you found?"

"Yes, and now as you have helped me he will probably attack you and your friends, because you have helped me. There may be only one way you can stop him and that is by killing him!"

The Anglo-Force sky-jet flew over the Hertfordshire countryside. It circled high above the ground searching for the remains of the Traxxon spaceship.

"I've got something." said Star Man "Just where it was before!"

They landed the sky-jet next to the spaceship. They walked through the burnt-out metal remains until they found the hatchway. Star Man entered first. He soon found the cockpit area again. He saw in what remained of the pilot's chair and looked around. White Knight then entered.

"We won't be able to salvage anything from this!" he said. "Why Magus sent us here I'll never know!"

"The only thing I can tell from this computer system is that it's far more sophisticated than anything I've ever seen before. I bet even the best computer brains in the world couldn't make head nor tail of this mess."

Then they heard something outside. Star Man looked out of the cockpit window.

"Looks like our Predator friend is back again." he said. "If you don't want a bloody battle we'd better get out of here."

Star Man and White Knight exited the spaceship and were soon back aboard the sky-jet. Just as they were about to take off the Predator left his ship. He saw the sky-jet and aimed a laser blast at it.

"We're hit!" cried Star Man.

"I know." said White Knight. "Just concentrate on getting us out of here!"

The sky-jet was soon high in the air and out of range of the Predator's laser blasts. The Predator went back into his ship, and he was soon in pursuit of the sky-jet.

About half an hour later the sky-jet arrived back at the mansion. They had just managed to stay ahead of the Predator's ship, and he had been unable to lock his weapons onto the sky-jet. The sky-jet landed in the hangar, and Star Man and White Knight rushed to the monitor room where Magus and Amarus were seated.

"The Predator's not far behind us." warned Star Man.

"I know." said Magus. "We've been monitoring your position."

"He's now above us." said Amarus.

The Predator landed his ship not far away from the mansion. He got out, and he was again armed to the teeth. He slow approached the building. As he did the front door opened. The Predator could now see his target, Ultare Amarus. The Predator stopped and raised his laser blaster, and aimed at Amarus. But just before he could fire a charge from White Knight knocked him off his feet. The Predator was sent flying. White Knight prepared to attack him with Excalibur, but the Predator brought his arm up above his head and blocked the attack. White Knight was surprised because no flesh, human or otherwise, had been able to withstand an attack from Excalibur. The Predator then took out his own blade, but that attack was blocked by Excalibur. This battle continued for the next few minutes. Blow was met by blow. This Predator had not fought anyone like this before. Then, as it appeared that neither combatants could gain an edge Star Man joined the fray. A nova blast hit the Predator in the back. This forced him to break off his attack on White Knight. He then turned towards Star Man, who was hovering in the air a few feet away form him. One swipe of his huge arm sent him flying. He then turned back to face White Knight, but he was gone. He looked around but the only one he could see was Ultare Amarus. Amarus moved towards him. He showed no signs of his previous wounds given to him by the Predator. The Predator raised his laser blaster and aimed at Amarus. But before he could fire Magus appeared in front of him. The Predator was confused for a few seconds, but this time he was prepared for the wizard. He quickly adjusted the setting on his wrist blaster and aimed at Magus. He fired, but Magus raised his hand and the blast just bounced off his palm. He fired again, and again, the same result. He again adjusted the setting but this time he was too quick for Magus. The blast hit him in the chest and he was knocked to the floor. He was then hit on the base of his skull. He turned round to see White Knight standing before him once again. His attention diverted, Amarus approached him from behind. He raised his hands and let out a huge fire blast. It hit the Predator squarely in the back. White Knight only just managed to avoid the falling Predator. The alien slumped to the ground, just next to White Knight. Amarus walked over to him and stood over him. The Predator looked up at him. Amarus, his hands still smouldering, prepared to deliver the final blow. He raised his hands, but before he could fire another blast he found his hands encased in a form of metal. He turned round and saw Magus standing behind him.

"You must not kill." he said. "Everything has a right to life, no matter what crimes they have committed in the past. To kill is wrong."

Magus raised his hand and the metal casing was gone from Amarus' hands. Magus then walked over to the fallen Predator. He was barely conscious.

"Mr. Pendragon, please contact the proper authorities." said Magus. "I believe our friend may soon have a room waiting for him at Dentonville Prison."

A few hours later Magus and Amarus stood looking at the remains of the Traxxon spaceship. Amarus looked disheartened.

"Everything aboard was destroyed in the battle." he said. "I have no way of contacting Traxxor, and there is no equipment on this planet which could help me."

"There will be, in time." said Magus. "Until that time, however, we are willing to offer you a home, food and friends. I will do all I can to try to return you to your home. In return I ask only one thing. Join us. One with abilities such as yours would be a great asset."

"As far as I can see I have no other choice." said Amarus. "I have learned that people on your planet fear what they do not understand. I think that they would not understand me, or where I came from. I will join you, for as long as I remain here."

"This may seem an odd question, but on Traxxor did you have any 'special' names?" asked Magus. "If you are to join Anglo-Force the government would probably insist on it."

"On Traxxor I was considered the most powerful of my clan." Amarus replied. "I was known as the Fire Master!"


	7. 7: The Cowboy

**CHAPTER ONE**

Flight 237 left John F. Kennedy airport in New York, it's destination, London. To most of the passengers and crew this seemed like a normal routine flight, but to two of the passengers it was going to be their way of getting noticed, of being seen, and perhaps settling a score with an old enemy.

The flight was one hour out of JFK when they made their move. One of the men, tall, with blonde hair, went into the toilet. A few minutes later he came out, brandishing a Colt 45. One of the stewardess' was walking past at the time, and he grabbed her, putting his arm around her neck. Then, another man leapt up from his seat. This man had long, black hair and a darker complexion. He was carrying no gun because he was wielding an axe.

"No need to panic!" said the man with the gun. "We're just taking a little detour."

The man signalled to his accomplice.

"Running Bear! Get the captain out here now!"

Showing great agility the man leapt over several rows of seats until he came to the cabin. He opened the door and dragged the captain out. The man was surprised at how easily he was manhandled. He dragged him over to the man with the gun.

"W-w-what do you want?" the pilot stuttered.

"Just one simple thing boy. I wanna go to the middle east!"

"We can't! We only have enough fuel to get to London!"

"Then we'll have to stop in London and re-fuel, won't we boy? And while we do we may be able to finish wiping out that tribe we started on all those years ago!"

Simon Kennedy sat in the library of at the Anglo-Force mansion. It had been a long time since he had been in this building. The last time he was here his life almost ended at the hands of a Terminator 1000 droid. Now his physical rehabilitation was going well. The doctors had not expected him to walk again, but he was finding it quite easy to get around on crutches. He sat in one of the comfortable leather armchairs, gazing into a blazing open fire. Then James Watt, newly re-elected leader of Anglo-Force, and Arthur Pendragon, team member and solicitor for Anglo-Force, entered.

"You'll excuse me if I don't get up." said Kennedy.

Watt and Pendragon seated themselves in the other two chairs.

"I hope this doesn't take long." said Watt. "Kate's expecting any time now."

"Don't worry Jim." said Kennedy. "This will only take a few minutes. I just want to outline my idea, my plan for Anglo-Force."

"I hope it's better than the ideas Campbell-Bannerman came up with." said Pendragon.

"My plan is simple." said Kennedy. "I want to keep your membership at a maximum of eight, but I also want to have six more as reserve members, just in case anything happens to any of you."

"Are you sure that will work?" asked Pendragon. "Eight is the maximum the old government allowed for funding, but won't you have to pay for the reservists as well?"

"The reservists will be paid at a reduced rate." said Kennedy. "They will be paid only half as much as the full-time members. I've discussed this with the PM and he's in favour of the idea. This idea would mean that someone like…Red Sun, for instance, could still be connected with Anglo-Force and need not be on alert twenty-four hours a day."

"It sounds like an excellent idea." said Watt. "But as leader I would have to insist on one thing. Anglo-Force must have total autonomy as far as selection of full and reserve members goes."

"That is something the Prime Minister is willing to give you." said Kennedy. "We're not going to be like Harkes and Campbell-Bannerman. Sure, you will have a timetable, an amount of time you would be expected to find the new members, but we won't go out and find these members for you."

Then the buzz came from the control panel above the fireplace. Watt walked over to it and pressed the button. It was from Magus in the infirmary.

"You'd better come quickly, James. Katrina has gone into labour."

The flight from new York neared the British mainland. The captain had radioed London with the hijackers demands, enough fuel to get to the middle east. If they were given the fuel then they would release the passengers and crew, except for the captain. At Heathrow Airport a fuel truck was being arranged and the authorities had been alerted. It was decided to send for the best. Chief Inspector Solo and his department were alerted. Half an hour later the aircraft was over London. They were given clearance to land at Heathrow, which they duly did. After landing the aircraft taxied to an empty runway. The fuel truck and the authorities were on this runway. As soon as he saw the aircraft Solo got out of his car. He looked at the aircraft through a pair of binoculars. He carefully studied the layout of the aircraft. It was then that he began to get that strange feeling again. It was as if he knew who the hijackers were. He took another look through his binoculars. He looked into the cockpit. It was then that he saw one of the hijackers, presumably the one in charge. He then got a feeling of déjà vu, a feeling as if he had seen that man before. He got back into his car and switched on his portable police computer.

"Computer, recognise Chief Inspector Paul Solo, Scotland Yard."

"Voice input recognised."

"Please establish a link with the Interpol main frame computer."

A few seconds passed.

"Link established."

"Please give me the file on Peter 'Tex' Craven, also known as the Cowboy."

The file appeared on the screen. It gave his last known whereabouts as New York state. Then a photo of Craven appeared on the screen. Solo's suspicions were confirmed. He was dealing with the infamous Cowboy, and if the Cowboy was around then Running Bear would not be far behind. It seemed that Magus' lessons in how to control his new mind powers were working. But Solo knew that all the police that had gathered at Heathrow would not be enough to subdue Cowboy and Running Boy. He knew he would have to send for the heavy guns.

Simon Kennedy had just left the Anglo-Force mansion when the call was put through from Heathrow. White Knight, Star Man and the newest member, Fire Master. Responded to the call. White Knight went to the infirmary to get Watt. When he walked in he saw Watt clutching Katrina's hand. She was in great pain. Magus stood at the control panel monitoring her life signs.

"We've got an emergency at Heathrow Jim." said White Knight. "Two Americans wanting fuel to get to the middle east. Solo wants us there."

Watt stared at White Knight.

"Not now Arthur." he said. "You'll have to handle this one on your own."

"But Solo wants a qualified pilot there, just in case." said White Knight. "And he thinks that you're the best one to handle this sort of situation."

Watt looked at Magus.

"Do not worry, James." Magus said.

Watt looked at Katrina. He kissed her on her cheek.

"Let's get this over with." he said.

About ten minutes later the Anglo-Force sky-jet landed at a secluded runway at Heathrow. A few minutes after that they were in the control tower with Solo.

"What's the SP then?" asked Watt.

"As far as we know there are only two hijackers." said Solo. "But those two are very dangerous men. Ever heard of Cowboy and Running Bear?"

"Mr. X mentioned them once a while back." said Watt. "But I've never met them."

"Well, they're wanted in thirty states in the US." said Solo. "For things ranging from gun running to murder. According to their Interpol record they killed an entire tribe of native Americans about sixteen years ago. Only a few of them survived."

"So what do they want?" asked White Knight.

"Fuel." Solo replied. "Enough fuel to get to the middle east. They say they'll release the passengers and most of the crew if we re-fuel."

"Give them the fuel." said Watt. "Then find me a pilot's uniform. And also find three mechanics uniforms. Make some excuse about how they can't leave until the engines have had a routine check."

About half an hour later a call was put through to the aircraft. The fuel truck and three technicians were on their way to the aircraft. The real technicians were back at the control tower. Their places had been taken by White Knight, Star Man and Fire Master. Solo was talking to Cowboy on the radio.

"Do I have your guarantee that you'll release all the passengers and crew once you have refuelled?" asked Solo.

"You have my word." said Cowboy. "All we need is this pilot."

"Frankly I don't think your word is good enough." said Solo.

"Ha! You've been reading my file, haven't you, boy?" said Cowboy.

Outside the aircraft the truck had reached it's destination. They began to uncoil the fuel hose and began to refuel. While this was going on Fire Master walked over to the cargo hatch. Slowly he began to move it. He slowly placed all the luggage on the ground, and as fast as he was putting it there Watt was flying up at super speed and taking it away. While White Knight was holding the fuel hose Star Man joined Fire Master. Together they climbed into the cargo hold, and Watt then replaced the door and returned to the control tower. He was not seen by the hijackers.

While this was going on Running Bear stood at the doorway. He was able to see White Knight, who was dressed as a technician, refuel the aircraft. He had not seen Star Man and Fire Master get into the cargo hold. When refuelling was completed White Knight removed the hose and recoiled it. He then waved to Running Near, indicating that the refuelling was complete. Running Bear turned and signalled to Cowboy. He then radioed the control tower and ordered them to bring the aircraft steps onto the runway. Soon after that the passengers and crew, all save the pilot, were released. Solo then contacted them on the radio.

"Come and collect your steps boys." said Cowboy. "We've kept our side of the deal, now let us leave."

"We can't do that yet." said Solo. "Regulations state that before you can take off again all of your systems will have to be checked by a qualified pilot."

"We've got one here." said Cowboy. "He can do it."

"It's against regulations." said Solo. "A second pilot has to make the checks."

"Well hurry this up then." said Cowboy. "I wanna get outta here!"

A few minutes later watt left the control tower dressed in full pilots uniform with a briefcase in his hand. He was soon at the aircraft, and as he walked up the aircraft steps White Knight was preparing to leave in the fuel truck. Running Beat stood on the top of the steps and pushed Watt into the aircraft. He then stood on the steps and continued to watch the aircraft. Inside Watt was met by Cowboy.

"How long will this take?" asked Cowboy.

"Only a few minutes." said Watt. "And would you mind not pointing that gun at me?"

Watt walked into the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's chair. Cowboy had not entered. The pilot looked at Watt with some confusion.

"I am unaware of regulations concerning checks of this nature." he said.

Watt turned to the pilot and motioned him to keep quiet. Then Cowboy entered the cockpit.

"Don't worry." said Watt. "This will only take a few more moments."

Then Running Bear called to Cowboy. Cowboy rushed out of the cockpit and joined Running Bear on the steps.

"Look." said Running Bear. "Only one leave in fuel truck when three come here."

"How can that be?" asked Cowboy.

Cowboy rushed back into the aircraft and into the cockpit. He grabbed Watt by the arm.

"What's the meaning of this?" he shouted. "Where are the other two fuel guys?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." said Watt.

Cowboy placed the gun at Watt's head.

"Don't play games with me, boy." said Cowboy. "Talk or I'll blow your brains out."

"I assure you your gun will have no effect on me." said Watt.

Cowboy began to get angry. He cocked the pistol and squeezed the trigger. The gun exploded in his hand. Cowboy began to blow on his hand because it felt red hot. Then Watt acted. He got up from the chair and punched Cowboy in the stomach. The American was sent flying to the back of the aircraft. Running Bear saw this and came rushing back into the aircraft. He was stopped by a nova blast from Star Man, who had burned his way through the floor. Then, behind him, Cowboy got to his feet and took out his whip. He cracked it and it wrapped itself around Star Man's neck. Cowboy pulled on it and Star Man was pulled to the ground. Fire Master then tried to attack Cowboy but a blow from Running Bear's axe handle rendered him unconscious. Then, the screech of brakes could be heard outside as White Knight returned in the fuel truck. This was just the break that the Americans needed. They jumped out of the aircraft and onto the steps. White Knight was rushing up the steps when he was met by a size ten cowboy boot to the face. He was sent hurtling down the steps.

"The truck!" yelled Cowboy. "Get to the truck!"

Meanwhile Watt, using his new-found powers, phased himself through the floor of the aircraft. He now stood inside the cab of the truck. Cowboy opened the door and was surprised to see Watt sitting in the driver's seat. He closed the door and began to run as fast as he could across the runway. Running Bear was not far behind him. Watt then left the cab and flew after them. Within a second Running Bear was in his arms. He held Running Bear high above him and hurtled him at Cowboy. Both were sent flying. A few seconds later they both lay motionless, unconscious, on the tarmac. Several police cars as well as a police van drove onto the tarmac. They were soon joined by the rest of Anglo-Force.

"Only two casualties then." said Solo. "I'm sure the FBI will be very pleased when we give them this present."

Fire Master stood rubbing his head.

"I hope my next few assignments will be less painful." he said.

"Due to a lack of experience." said Watt. "With Magus as your teacher you will learn. Now if you'll excuse me I've got an important date."

Watt took off into the sky at super speed.

"What date?" asked Solo.

"The birth of his child!" Star Man replied.

**CHAPTER TWO**

The clearing up operation at Heathrow took about an hour and a half. White Knight, Star Man and Fire Master had stayed behind to lend a hand. Cowboy and Running Bear were taken to Scotland Yard for questioning, where the FBI in America would be contacted. Extradition proceedings were expected to start the next morning. The Anglo-Force members took the sky-jet back to the mansion.

When they arrived back at the mansion White Knight walked along the corridor to the infirmary. As he walked he heard a noise he hoped he would, the sound of a baby crying. He walked into the infirmary. The first thing he saw was Katrina lying in the bed, with the baby in her arms. Watt sat on the bed next to her. Both had broad smiles on their faces.

"It's a boy, Arthur!" smiled Watt. "It's a boy!"

White Knight walked over to the bed. He kissed Katrina and shook Watt's hand.

"Congratulations, James." he said. "What are you going to call him?"

Magus, who was also in the infirmary, walked over to the bed.

"I think Phineas is a good name." he said.

"Phineas Watt does not quite sound right." said Watt.

Watt turned to Katrina.

"I suppose this means that we'll have to do the honourable thing now!" he said.

Rush hour in London was possibly one of the worst times of the day you could take two criminals in a police van to Scotland Yard. The traffic on this day seemed to be worse than it usually is. The police van, along with it's escort, was caught up in the worst of the traffic. Inside the van both Cowboy and Running Bear were handcuffed to two policemen. The van was dimly lighted. One of the policemen banged on the wall. The small window from the front opened.

"What's going on? What's the hold up?"

"Bloody rush hour traffic. It'll take ages before we get out of this."

The driver closed the window. Cowboy looked at the policeman he was cuffed to.

"Have you got a cigarette?" he asked.

"You're not allowed to smoke in here."

"Come on now. One cigarette won't hurt, will it? At least give the condemned man one wish."

The policeman paused.

"All right then. But don't tell the super about this."

The policeman took a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and gave one to Cowboy. He then took out his lighter and lighted the cigarette.

"Can you let one of my hands go?" Cowboy asked.

"I can't do that."

"Hey, I can't smoke if both of my hands are behind my back, can I?"

"All right then."

The policeman again reached into his pocket and took out his keys. He unlocked the cuffs, releasing Cowboy's hands. The American rubbed his wrists and then took the cigarette out of his mouth. He let out a long, slow puff. He then raised the cigarette to his mouth again. But instead of putting it back into his mouth he jerked suddenly and put the cigarette in the policeman's eye. He let out a huge cry of pain. Then he kicked the policeman that Running Bear was cuffed to in the stomach, severely winding him. Running Bear stood up and head butted him, breaking his nose in the process. Cowboy then elbowed the policeman he had attacked in the cheek, smashing his cheekbone. Cowboy then reached into the policeman's pocket, grabbed the keys, and released Running Bear. The driver in front opened his small window, but as soon as he did a fist knocked him out. Cowboy then walked over to the van door and kicked it open. The escort behind them had no idea what was happening as Cowboy and Running Bear jumped onto their bonnet. As they ran over the car they smashed the front and back windscreens. After running over a few more cars they made their way down the street, and seemingly to freedom. After a few minutes of running they ducked into an alley.

"What now?" asked Running Bear.

"We have some unfinished business with one of the old tribe." said Cowboy. "We get him deal with him, and then try to make a few contacts here. No matter what we can't stay in London too long. This place will be swarming with cops in a matter of minutes. And I have a hunch our old 'friend' will be at school now."

Simon Kennedy returned to the House of Commons. He sat in his office working out the final plans for Anglo-Force. He had his television switched on. He knew there had been a hijacking at Heathrow Airport but he did not know who had been involved. Then there was a news flash. It gave the news of the prisoner's escape. Kennedy watched in shock as the newsreader gave the names of the prisoners, Cowboy and Running Bear. After the news flash had finished Kennedy picked up his telephone.

"Have my car brought round. We're going to my son's school."

The police were swarming over London like bees. Somehow they knew that Cowboy and Running Bear were still in the city. They were correct. They had made their way to the south-west of the city, because their target was situated in that area at the City of London College. This college had only been open ten years, but it had already gained a worldwide reputation. Children of some of the richest people in Britain came here, and it was the current place of learning for Christopher Norris, adopted son of the new Home Secretary Simon Kennedy, and who was also known as Axe Kid. The young native American had studied here since the previous September and he had temporarily retired his Axe Kid persona.

Outside the winter night was beginning to draw in. It would be the perfect cover for Cowboy and Running Bear to attack. The reason for their finding Axe Kid was quite simple. Sixteen years ago, when Norris was very young, Cowboy had tried to turn his native American tribe into slaves for his own use. Only one of the tribe co-operated with him, Running Bear. The others refused. For their refusal, they died, all save Norris and his elderly grandfather, who died from his injuries soon afterwards. It was on his grandfather's death bed that Simon Kennedy promised to take care of his grandson as if he were his own, which he duly did. Now Cowboy and Running Bear sought Norris, attempting to finish the job they had started some sixteen years earlier.

Cowboy and Running Bear sat in a car they had stolen opposite the college.

"When do we go in?" asked Running Bear.

"We don't." said Cowboy. "We wait outside for Norris. Hopefully it won't take too long. I've waited sixteen years for this. It was lucky we had the chance to do this."

"Perhaps bad idea." said Running Bear. "Many police looking for us. Should have made attempt to leave city."

Cowboy stared at Running Bear.

"I'm running the show here. You do as I say."

Then another car drew up outside the college. The door opened and out stepped Simon Kennedy on crutches. Cowboy was now cursing.

"Damn it! I was hoping that good for nothing wouldn't show up!"

"He is cripple." said Running Bear. "He is no threat!"

"He's the boy's father!" said Cowboy. "Don't you remember? He's the one who attacked us at the reservation, he was the X-Kid!"

"X-Kid no longer. He is cripple."

"He's still in the way. We must deal with him."

Kennedy walked through the corridors of the college until he came to the dorm. He soon found Norris' room. He opened the door and found Norris busy studying. He was pleased to see his adopted father.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"There is no time to talk." said Kennedy. "We must leave."

"Why?"

"I told you there is no time. We will go to the Anglo-Force mansion. We will be safe there."

A few minutes later Kennedy and Norris left the building. Their drive stood outside their car, holding the door open for them. Then it happened. Before they could do anything an axe flew past their heads and imbedded itself in the driver's back. He slumped to the ground. Kennedy and Norris turned round and they saw who Kennedy hoped they would not see, Cowboy and Running Bear. The two Americans leapt into action. Running Bear charged at Kennedy, knocking him off his feet, while Cowboy leapt at Norris. A kick to Norris' head knocked him off balance, and another blow to his stomach knocked him off his feet. Cowboy then took his gun from it's holster, cocked it, and aimed at Norris' head.

"Now, boy, you will die, just as the rest of your tribe did!"

But before he could pull the trigger an energy blast from above knocked the gun from his hand. Cowboy looked skywards to see Star Man hovering above him. Another blast, this one of fire, hit the ground behind Cowboy. He spun around and saw Fire Master hovering above.

"Running Bear!" he cried.

Running Bear could not answer. He was too tied up battling White Knight.

"Let's get outta here, Running Bear!" Cowboy screamed.

Running Bear knocked White Knight off his feet and soon joined Cowboy in retreating. Star Man and Fire Master took off after them, but the two Americans seemed to be able to keep ahead of them. After a few more minutes Cowboy and Running Bear ducked into another alley. Luckily for them Star Man and Fire Master flew straight past the alley. A few minutes later Cowboy peered out of the alley. He saw Star Man and Fire Master in the distance, so he ducked back in. When he returned to the alley he saw someone at the other end. It was Running Bear because he was near Cowboy.

"Who are you?" Cowboy called.

The man walked out of the shadows. He was tall, with short black and hair, and he wore a black and red costume which appeared to be some sort of uniform.

"You are the one known as Cowboy, and your friend here is called Running Bear. It never ceases to amaze me that people from your century had such silly names!"

"What do you want boy?" asked Cowboy.

"I am merely offering you a chance to escape, to get away from those who are chasing you."

"You can get us out of this country?" said Cowboy. "You can get us to the middle east?"

"To the middle east and further, my friend. All I ask of you is that you help me at some point in the future."

"Just get us outta here, and to the middle east, and then we'll talk terms." said Cowboy.

"It shall be done."

The man snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light, and all three of them were gone. Cowboy and Running Bear soon found themselves in the desert. The third man was nowhere to be seen.

Back in London Star Man and Fire Master continued their search of the area from the air. White Knight searched from the ground. They could find no sign of the Americans. They returned to the college. Norris was helping Kennedy to his feet.

"Are you okay?" White Knight asked.

"Just." said Kennedy. "Did you find him?"

"We looked everywhere." said Star Man. "I don't know how but he gave us the slip."

"Well keep looking." said Kennedy. "You must find them!"

"We won't find anyone in the dark Simon." said White Knight. "They could be anywhere. There's no point in looking tonight. The police will get onto it first thing in the morning.

White Knight was correct. There was indeed no point in searching for Cowboy and Running Bear because they were thousands of miles away. But soon they would be further away, thousands of light years away.


	8. 8: The Stargazer

**CHAPTER ONE**

Magus sat in his study at Craigmillar Castle. Before him, on the huge mahogany desk, rested a volume of long forgotten lore. A log fire blazed in the grate, before which reclined Teddy and Toby, sleeping as peacefully as only dogs of three and two hundred years old respectively could. Curled up in one of the chairs lay Jimmy and Tabby, as sound asleep as the dogs on the hearthrug. Igor, Magus' Monstron butler, moved around the room silently, dusting. At length, Magus closed the book and went to look out of the window.

"Tell me, Igor, where is Master Thomas now?"

Igor knew something was troubling Magus for he did not usually trouble to ask where anyone was. It was one of the benefits of being not far short of omniscient.

"He is in the library, sir." replied the butler. "Shall I fetch him?"

Magus nodded silently. Soon Igor and Thomas returned, Igor went to leave.

"No, Igor, stay. This affects you, too."

He gazed down at the animals at his feet.

"It affects all of you."

Once more he gazed out of the window.

"In the late nineteenth century a friend of mine, fellow by the name of Phileas Fogg, went around the world in eighty days, to prove that it could be done. I did not tell him that it could have been done in eighty seconds, nor that I could have done it. But I can understand why he chose to do what he did. I have existed for millennia, and in human form for almost a thousand years. I have seen many wondrous things in that time. Thomas, I think it is time we completed your education. You too shall see some of the wonders which I have seen. The first steam locomotive on Earth, a Cardiassian dust storm. All of time is open to us, my boy. We can go where we please."

Igor bowed, a polite little bow which seemed rather odd coming from a seven foot tall Monstron.

"How does this affect me, sir?"

"Even as Fogg travelled with Passepartout, so to will I require the services of a gentleman's gentleman. Pack as much as you think we will need. Anything else I can create as we need it. I do wish to take the Optics of Haroun Al Rascidy and possibly a few other things."

Igor left to do as he was bidden.

"Where shall we go first, Magus?" asked Thomas.

Magus took a large book from the shelf.

"I doubt it Thomas Cook themselves could create a more exciting itinerary than we can ourselves. As I said, we have all of time."

Magus opened the book.

"Ah, planet Rainus. I was last there about two hundred years ago. They have an interesting belief that their High Priests can ascend into heaven from a mighty stone tower."

Thomas looked a little puzzled.

"How do we get there?" he asked.

"Follow me." said Magus.

He led Thomas into a cavern below the castle. In the cave could be seen a huge craft of some sort. Inside it was almost identical to Craigmillar, including the huge pipe organ in the dining hall.

"This, Thomas, is the Lord of the Isles."

"How is she powered?" asked Thomas, his eyes aglow.

"How else? By steam, the only way to travel."

Thomas placed his hands upon his hips and gave Magus a stern look.

"You cannot generate enough steam to travel through space. And it is not possible."

"Only according to the laws of physics, which I do not have to obey."

"Then how do you generate the steam?" asked Thomas.

"He doesn't. I do." said a voice like the distant rumbling of thunder.

Thomas looked up to see the great green bulk of Granamyr looming over him.

"When do we leave then?" asked Thomas, shrugging.

A short time later Magus sat in what appeared to be a study on board the vessel. This study also doubled as the bridge. Magus sat at his desk, which was covered by various star charts of various galaxies. It was then that Thomas entered. He sat himself on the large leather sofa.

"Tell me more about the people of Rainus." he asked.

"The people of Rainus are very religious people. The god they worship is very similar to the one worshipped by those on Earth. In fact, now I come to think of it, it may even be the same one. Anyway, they are very religious, and they believe that when they are close to death they must try and walk up a high stone tower so their god can easily reach them when they die. Some have climbed these towers in perfect health, to try and touch their god, but they just ended up looking rather foolish! Apart from their religion I found Rainus to be a very prosperous planet, with a world of riches at their disposal."

"So we can look forward to a comfortable stay then."

"Most certainly. In fact I'm quite looking forward to this little visit. Some of their scenery is quite breathtaking!"

Then, the huge oak door opened, and Igor entered. He approached the desk.

""Begging your pardon sir, but the aft sensors are picking up a vessel three thousand kilometres away."

"A vessel?" said Magus. "In this part of the galaxy?"

Magus arose from his seat, and a few seconds later he was in another part of the ship, the monitor room. He sat himself in the chair and switched on the screen in front of him.

"A Treen vessel." he said to himself. "I've never known them to travel to this sector before."

Magus checked the instruments in front of him.

"They appear to be going my way."

Then Thomas entered the room.

"Anything wrong?" he asked.

"Just a Treen vessel, heading towards the Rainus system. It's probably nothing to worry about. There's plenty of planets in that system."

Magus then arose from his seat and walked over to Thomas. He placed his hand on his shoulder.

"And you, my young friend, must get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us!"

It was two days before the Lord of the Isles arrived in orbit around the planet of Rainus. From his monitor room Magus began scanning the surface.

"The towns and villages seem to be in the same space." he said. "It is somewhat odd that they haven't got any larger in some two hundred years since my last visit."

Magus adjusted his instruments again.

"Ah, I see they have kept my landing sight clear. We will make for there."

A few minutes later Magus steered the ship into the planet's atmosphere. It was another few minutes before they landed. Magus and Thomas then approached the hatchway. Igor was waiting for them.

"You stay here with the animals, Igor." said Magus. "While Thomas and I try to arrange accommodation for us all."

"Very good sir."

Magus then opened the hatchway, and he and Thomas stepped outside. Magus was shocked by the sight that greeted him. Two hundred years ago he had landed his craft in exactly the same position. Then surrounding the landing sight were plush, green, beautiful fields for as far as the eye could see. Now instead of that there was a barren wasteland. There was hardly any vegetation at all. Magus looked around and then kneeled down and picked up some of the soil. Holding it in his hand he began to study it.

"This soil is useless." he said. "Nothing can grow in this."

"What happened here?" asked Thomas.

"I don't know." said Magus. "It could have been war, but the people of Rainus are very peaceful people, almost pacifists. It could have been a natural disaster. Who knows? But if my memory serves me there is a large village five miles to the west of here. I stayed there on my last visit. It is best if we walk there, so as not to scare the natives."

Magus and Thomas started on their journey. The barren wasteland continued for miles and miles. It took them about an hour to walk the five miles. On his last visit Magus had stayed in the village of Bow. The people of Bow were a happy people, and they always had a rich harvest. Magus had first expected to see smiling, happy faces. When they first arrived they saw angry faces, sad faces. The village seemed to be in a state of decay. The scene reminded Magus of one he had witnessed on Earth during the days of the black death. When some of the villagers saw Magus they began shouting at him.

"Bring back the glory days! Stop the pain and suffering!"

Magus stopped walking and looked around at the village. He found the scene very distressing.

"Something has gone wrong here." he said. "Very wrong. When I left the people of Rainus were very happy, very content with life. They almost lived a life of luxury. They had food to spare. Now they are living a life of poverty. We must find out what has happened here."

Magus and Thomas continued their journey through the village. As they walked they saw a graveyard in the distance.

"Come, Thomas." said Magus. "We will pay our respects to those who have died."

They soon walked through the iron gates of the graveyard. Magus approached one of the graves and read the inscription on the headstone.

"Here lies Dultar, fifth son of the holy house. He gave his life for the Stargazer."

"I knew Dultar's grandfather." said Magus. "He was one of the high priests of Rainus. He was a wise man."

Thomas then looked behind him. Suddenly a huge crowd began to walk past the graveyard.

"Where are they going?" he asked.

Magus turned his attention away from the tombstone and watched the crowd as they walked past. They stood for a few minutes, and then Thomas pointed to something in the distance.

"Look!" he said. "On the hill, over there!"

Magus looked at the hill in the distance. A large crowd was beginning to gather upon that hill. On top of the hill however was a large structure. Magus recognised it.

"It is one of the stone towers." he said. "But I have never seen one so high before!"

They made their way to the iron gates. Then they heard some of the people talking.

"Come! We must pay homage to the Stargazer! It is he who will speak to the gods! It is he who will bring back the glory days to us!"

Magus continued to watch as the crowd moved past the graveyard.

"I think it would be a good idea if we followed this crowd." he said. "And find out who this 'Stargazer' is."

They waited until the crowd had gone past the graveyard and soon followed it.

The journey to the hill took another hour, mainly because the crowd was moving so slowly. Because of the size of the crowd Magus and Thomas had to stand at the bottom of the hill. Even though they were behind the large crowd they could easily see the high stone tower at the top of the hill. Around the tower they could see a stairway reaching to the top. At the top they could see that the tower was nearly complete. Then the nose level of the crowd began to rise. They began to cheer and chant as in the distance Magus and Thomas saw a small group walking towards the foot of the tower. They began chanting the word "Stargazer" repeatedly. Then the group stopped when they reached the foot of the tower. Then one man broke away from the group and began climbing the stairway. He stopped when he was about ten feet up the tower. He turned and faced the crowd. He raised his arms in the air, motioning the crowd to be silent. He then began to speak.

"Behind me you see the mighty tower of stone. For nine years you, the people of Rainus, have been building this mighty tower to the heavens so that I, the Stargazer, your mystical and spiritual leader, may ascend to the heavens and speak to the gods, and plead with them to bring back the glory days. That day, my followers, is near. Within two cycles of the moon the mighty tower of stone will be complete, and I will climb these stairs and offer the gods the riches you have given me. Then they will bring back the glory days of Rainus!"

The crowd began cheering loudly, and once again they chanted the name of the Stargazer. A short time later the crowd began to disperse. The Stargazer and his small party remained at the foot of the tower. When they had all gone the Stargazer spoke to one of his aides.

"Is it ready?" he asked. "Are they in place?"

"Yes, my lord. They arrived in orbit two days ago. They await your signal."

"Excellent. Rainus has outlived it's usefulness." said the Stargazer. "We will soon be off this worthless lump of rock."

Then the Stargazer looked out into the distance and saw Magus and Thomas standing at the foot of the hill.

"Who are they?" he asked.

"I do not know. I have never seen them before."

"The old man seems familiar to me. Keep an eye on him."

At the foot of the hill Magus looked up at the Stargazer.

"Something is not right here." he said. "This Stargazer claims to be a mystic of some sort, yet he is not. I have a feeling that we will have a lot to do here during our stay."

**CHAPTER TWO**

The Stargazer and his group had returned to their dwelling, some three miles away from the village. Magus and Thomas meanwhile had returned to the village. They sought the dwelling of the village elder, Urko. They had some difficulty finding it, but they eventually did. When they arrived they were surprised to find that Urko knew Magus.

"The records showed that you would return two hundred years after your visit, Magus." said Urko. "But I regret that you did not return to happier times here on Rainus."

"What happened here?" asked Magus. "When I left Rainus was a beautiful place with a wealth of riches and resources. How did everything get so barren and desolate?"

"It all started just over twenty years ago." said Urko. "There was a famine. For one year the crops did not grow, and the people went hungry. The next harvest was only slightly better, but there was enough food to go around. Then, the famine returned. Many blamed the gods for this. It was as if they were punishing us for something. Then, a few years later, the man we call the Stargazer came down from the mountains with his friends, and he promised us a return to the glory days. He promised that the gods would listen to him. But in order to speak to the gods we would have to build for him a mighty tower of stone, a tower higher than any of those we have built before."

"Yes, I've seen that tower." said Magus. "It almost reaches the clouds."

"The Stargazer told us that if the tower reached the clouds he would be able to speak to the gods. He also told us to collect all of our riches, and he would present them to the gods."

"You mean pay the gods to return the glory days to Rainus?"

"Yes. That is why our fields are so barren. We haven't been able to pay for any seeds, so we haven't been able to grow any food."

"Then how do you survive?" asked Thomas. "How do you eat?"

"The Stargazer uses his mystical powers to create some food for us." replied Urko. "He cannot create much however, because he has to conserve power for his flight to the gods."

Magus leaned back into his chair.

"There is something strange about this Stargazer fellow." he said. "Tell me, Urko, do you still keep records here in this village?"

"Certainly." Urko replied.

"May I see them?" asked Magus. "I may be able to find a way of helping this Stargazer. I may be able to find a way of making your fields fertile again."

A short time later Urko led Magus and Thomas in a darkened room. The walls were lined with shelves, and on these shelves were hundreds of books.

"All the records are here." said Urko. "The records of our harvests, our wealth, it is all here."

"Thank you, Urko." said Magus. "Are there any records about the Stargazer here, about his past, perhaps?"

"That I do not know." said Urko. "Our records keeper would have been able to tell you, but he has been chose as one of those to finish the tower of stone."

"Very well then." said Magus. "And again, thank you."

Urko then left the room and closed the door behind him. Magus then switched on one of the lamps, and some light then filled the room.

"What exactly are we looking for?" asked Thomas.

"Something that could tell us about the Stargazer." replied Magus. "Although I have a feeling it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

And so Magus and Thomas began their search through the record of Rainus. After an hour or so Thomas found something interesting.

"I've found the records concerning your first visit here." he said. "It makes reference to a strange craft which came down from the sky, and of a friendly old man who taught the village elders much."

"I merely showed them how to make a decent steak and kidney pudding with mashed potato." said Magus. "To them that was quite an exotic dish."

Their search continued for the next few hours. Then Magus leaned back into his chair.

"What's wrong?" asked Thomas.

"Everything." replied Magus. "From what I can tell the famines were a natural occurrence. Every land must go through that at some time or another. But apparently the soil tests showed that it should have been able to grow crops, but for some reason it couldn't. That seemed to start not long after the Stargazer came down from the mountains. I think it is time I introduced myself to this Stargazer fellow."

"What about me?" asked Thomas.

"You stay here and continued looking through the cords. You may find something interesting.

Magus got up from his seat and soon left the room.

Soon he was standing in the Stargazer's house. The Stargazer looked at him coldly.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Magus smiled, and made his piper appear and lit it.

"You may have heard of me, for I was here about two hundred years ago. I am Phineas Magus."

The Stargazer snorted.

"Listen, chum." he snarled. "I'm on to a good thing here. These fools have given me everything I asked for and more. I don't need another con man muscling in on my turf."

"What makes you so sure that I am a con man?" enquired Magus.

"You've just done what I did, read up on their legends. When I saw you in the crowd today I thought you looked familiar. I can see why now, you really have made yourself look like that Magus."

At this, the Stargazer leant over in a confidential manner.

"I thought about becoming Magus myself, but he sounds like an awful old pillock. I mean, if he'd existed with the powers he was meant to have then he could have ripped this lot off good and proper."

Magus rose from his seat.

"I think you should know that Magus does exist." he said.

"Wizards don't exist. It's all a fairy tale."

Magus raised one hand. It caught fire, then a dove appeared, perched upon his fingers.

"If I don't exist, because I am a wizard, then who am I?"

The Stargazer looked momentarily unnerved by this. Then, just as quickly, he regained his composure.

"You don't scare me. They won't trust you, you left them and didn't return when they needed you."

Grimly, Magus left. He found Teddy outside, waiting.

"I have a job for you, old friend." said the wizard. "I want you and the others to go out and about in the village. Try to find out what sort of hold this Stargazer has over the people. Off you go now."

The dog disappeared. Magus returned to Urko's house and told him of his meeting.

"If the Stargazer is nearly ready to complete his trickery then he may have some way of escaping. Go back to the ship and see if you can find any trace of a vessel in orbit."

The word had spread through the village like wildfire. Magus had returned but the Stargazer had told him he was not needed. The Stargazer, furthermore, was to ascend to the tower that very night to speak to the gods.

Magus sat once more reading through the records to find the cause of the famine when Urko entered once more.

"You have not found the cause of our famine?"

Magus shook his head.

"Tell me, Urko." he said. "What was the last good harvest like?"

Urko smiled.

"A traveller came from afar, bringing with him a wondrous liquid which made the trees heavy with fruit. Out cattle grew fat. Then, the next year, the crops failed. The cattle died. We put the liquid into the ground each year but it was no use. Then, ten years ago, the Stargazer came."

"Do you have any of this liquid left?" asked Magus.

"A little." replied Urko.

"Bring it to me." ordered Magus.

In his lab on board the Lord of the Isles Magus swiftly analysed the liquid.

"This, Urko, is something beyond the knowledge of your people, but they have been fools to place their trust in this. This is a liquid fertiliser. It contains things which would make your crops grow, but only for a year or two. Did the farmers of Rainus continued to use the manure from their beasts, and did they move their crops year by year as I told your people to two hundred years ago?"

Urko looked crestfallen.

"The bringer of the liquid said your words were false."

Magus gave Urko an angry look.

"I would guess that your Stargazer looks very much like the Bringer. Urko, you have been the victim, along with your race of a most audacious con trick."

Just then Thomas entered.

"I've found a ship in orbit."

They returned to Magus' study. Magus opened a hailing frequency.

"This is Phineas Magus. I strongly advise you to surrender."

Aboard the orbiting vessel one of the crew looked at the other.

"Do you reckon it is?" he asked.

"I don't know, but him down there can take his chances. I'm off."

"They're leaving orbit." said Thomas.

"Let them go." replied Magus. "I want the Stargazer."

He strode angrily out of the ship, making his way to the tower. The Stargazer was already on his way up.

"Hear me, all of you." cried Magus. "The Stargazer is a fraud. He has exploited your misfortune for twenty years, first as the Bringer, now as the Stargazer."

"False, false!" cried the crowds. "He will save us!"

Then from high above came a voice.

"You fools, he speaks the truth. You cannot stop me now!"

The tiny figure, so high up, disappeared into the clouds. Magus began to rise, but before he could reach the top a figure plummeted down past him, so quickly that it caught him off guard. He returned to the ground.

The crowd parted as he landed. In the centre there lay the shattered body of the Stargazer, every pocket crammed with gold, bags of jewels slung around his neck.

"You would never have caught him." said Thomas. "He fell so quickly with all that weight around his neck."

Three months passed. The new harvest approached. Magus and his friends had remained on Rainus, Magus working his subtle magic to make this harvest such a good one that no one need go hungry. He had also arranged for aid from Xerxes, the next planet in the system, which was still fertile, and would probably have been the next target.

At last the day for their departure came. Urko and the villagers came out to see them off, the landing field was now once more green and lush. Magus left them with these words.

"I have given you a good harvest by magic, but be warned. I cannot always be here. You must take responsibility for your own lives and not trust your destiny to those not worthy of your trust."

They boarded the ship, and as they took off Magus turned to Thomas.

"What did you gain from your time on Rainus?"

"I learned not to take everything at face value." he smiled. "And I left them something of me behind too."

"And that was?" enquired Magus.

"They know how to make pizza now!"

It is said that seven hundred years later when Rainus applied for and was granted membership of the United Federation of Planets that the delegation from the Federation were served pizza, steak and kidney pudding with mashed potato, and that President Watt recognised the recipe for both. But that is another story.


	9. 9: A Trip to Transylvania

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Time," stated Magus "is curious."

Thomas did not look at all surprised at this, for Igor had just served Magus a large whisky. Magus was always at his most profound when drinking whisky. Toby looked up, didn't hear anything about food and promptly went to sleep again. Magus continued.

"I first met, for example, Count Vladimir Dracula in the late 20th century, although he, it appears, first met me in the late 19th century. As yet, although I have encountered Dracula many times since our first meeting I have yet to meet him when he met me."

"Why don't we do that now?" asked Thomas.

"I too, would like to go sir." interjected Igor. "Among my people Dracula is regarded as a hero.

A few minutes later Magus entered his study. He walked over to one of his many bookcases and took off the shelf one of his favourite books, "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells. Slowly the bookcase began to open, revealing a bright light behind it. This light was, in fact, a time portal. It allowed Magus to travel through time just by walking through it. But on this day Magus would be taking some friends along for the ride.

A few minutes later Thomas entered. He was dressed in the clothes suitable for a trip to the 19th century. Shortly afterwards Igor entered, carrying several suitcases under his arms. Behind him were the two dogs, Teddy and Toby.

"Where are the cats?" asked Magus.

"Being lazy as usual" said Teddy. "All they want to do is sleep."

"Well, they can take care of themselves." said Magus. "Alright then. If everyone is ready then we'll be on our way."

Magus walked into the bright light, closely followed by Thomas, Igor and the dogs. After what seemed like hours they emerged from the light into the village of Konigstadt in the middle of winter. Thomas was pleased to see snow lying on the ground. Because of the mild winters in Britain he hadn't seen snow in years.

Magus stood in what appeared to be the village square. He surveyed the scene around him. He then reached into his pocket and took out his watch. During the journey through the portal his watch had synchronised itself to the proper time. Magus saw it was half past six in the evening. He was surprised to see the streets deserted. Then, down the street, he saw the local inn.

"We'll go there." he said.

Magus' entourage followed him to the inn. Even though he was carrying many suitcases Igor was still able to open the door for Magus and Thomas.

They entered the inn to find a fire blazing in the fireplace. The innkeeper suddenly put his book down and got off the stool he was sitting on. Magus approached the bar.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"

"I'd like some rooms if you've got any." said Magus. "One for me, one for my charge, and one for my servant here."

The innkeeper looked up at Igor and gulped.

"You're in luck." he said. "We've only three rooms left. Every other room, and every other room in the nearby inns are taken."

"Yes, I was meaning to ask you about that." said Magus. "Where is everyone? What is happening around here?"

The innkeeper suddenly grew very pale.

"I don't know what you mean sir."

"The streets outside." said Magus. "It's only half past six in the evening. I would have thought they would have been bustling with life."

The innkeeper paused for a few moments.

"You're probably referring to the Walpurgesnacht Ball." he said. "It's being held at the castle. Almost everyone is there tonight."

"But you are not? Why?"

A solemn look appeared on the innkeeper's face.

"I have no desire to go, sir." he said. "My daughter went."

Magus sensed something was wrong with the innkeeper. He sensed he wasn't telling him everything.

A short time later the innkeeper showed them to their rooms. After eating a hearty meal they retired for the evening. They were awoken in the early hours by people returning from the ball. They were soon asleep again soon afterwards.

The next morning Magus was the first of his party to rise. It was half past eight in the morning, and Magus was surprised to find that none of the others had yet got up.

He walked down to the dining room and found it empty. The tables had not been laid out for breakfast. He walked into the kitchen. There was no one there, not even a cook preparing the breakfast. He thought this most odd.

He then made his way back up the stairs in search of the innkeeper. He walked along the corridors on the first floor of the inn until he came to an open door. From down the corridor he heard someone speaking, as if they were praying. When he reached the door he saw the innkeeper, kneeling down next to a bed, his hands clasped together as if he were prating. Magus called out to him, but the innkeeper did not hear him. Magus entered the room. He could now hear clearly what the innkeeper was saying. He was praying for his daughter to be spared. Magus placed his hand on the innkeeper's shoulder. The innkeeper almost jumped out of his skin. He looked at Magus with a horrified look on his face.

"Do not be frightened." said Magus. "Tell me, what has happened here?"

The innkeeper could not speak. He handed Magus a small object. Magus took it and examined it. It was a gold ring, and on it was a crest. Magus recognised the crest instantly.

"The crest of Count Dracula." he said. "How did you get this?"

The innkeeper was now able to speak.

"I found it here on my daughter's bed." he said.

"This is your daughter's room?" said Magus. "Tell me, did you daughter return from the ball last night?"

"She did. I waited up for her. She seemed strangely preoccupied."

"And you found this ring on her bed?"

"Yes."

"It appears that your daughter had a visitor from the castle last night. There is only one way, however, that he could have got in. Your daughter must have invited him in. She must have been hypnotised by the Count at the ball last night."

"How do you know of these things? How do you know so much about the castle?"

"I am somewhat of an expert on such matters. Do any of your other guests know about this?"

"I don't know. I have not seen any of them this morning."

Magus then walked out of the room and to the room next door. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He opened the door and found that the room was empty. He then did this with the next room, and the room after that. He checked all of the rooms in the inn. The only ones that were not empty were the ones that were occupied by Magus and his party. He then went back to the innkeeper's daughter's room.

"All of your guests have gone." he said. "You said they were all here for the ball?"

"That is what they told me."

"Well, their beds haven't been slept in, and there are no clothes in the drawers or the wardrobes."

Then, as they were speaking, Thomas entered the room.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"No time to explain Thomas." said Magus. "But come with me. I will be needing your help for the next couple of hours."

"But what about breakfast?"

"You can have breakfast after we've finished my boy."

Magus turned to the innkeeper.

"Is there anywhere around here that I can get some garlic from?"

"I have some in my kitchen."

"Get it. We will need every bit of it."

The three of them went downstairs. The innkeeper went into the kitchen, emerging a few minutes later with an armful of garlic cloves.

"Excellent." said Magus. "Thomas, take some of the garlic and follow me."

A few minutes later Igor came downstairs with the dogs. As soon as he smelt the garlic Toby began to get excited, again thinking with his stomach instead of his head.

"What are we going to do with this stuff?" asked Thomas.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Magus. "I want you and Igor to put the garlic around all of the doors and windows."

"Ah! I see now! To keep vampires out!" said Thomas.

"Hopefully." said Magus.

Magus once again turned to the innkeeper.

"Do you have a crucifix around?" he asked.

"I'm not a religious man. I don't have anything of the sort."

"You say you're not a religious man yet you were praying earlier."

The innkeeper's expression changed.

"Well, never mind that." said Magus. "Do you at least have a church in this village?"

"Just down the road." said the innkeeper.

Magus marched out of the inn and down the road towards the church. He went inside the church. The place was deserted. He walked up to the altar, and hanging on the wall he saw what he wanted. Using his powers Magus floated up the wall and took the crucifix off the wall. A few minutes later he returned to the inn. The innkeeper was surprised to see Magus holding the crucifix from the church in his hand.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked.

"If you hive me a hammer and some nails I will show you." said Magus.

The innkeeper soon found his hammer and a few nails. Magus then went outside again and nailed the crucifix to the front door of the inn. He then went back inside.

"Is all the garlic in place?" he asked.

"We've just finished." said Thomas.

"Is there any left?" Magus asked.

Igor handed Magus what was left of the garlic.

"Good. Now I think it is time I pay a little visit to the castle. Thomas, you stay here with Igor."

"But…!"

No arguments. The best place for you at the moment is here at the inn. And don't worry, I'll be back in a little while."

Magus put the garlic in his pocket. He then left the inn and headed in the direction of the castle.

It was a two mile walk from the village to the castle. When Magus first caught sight of the castle it sent a chill right down his spine. The castle was a dark and eerie place. A few minutes later Magus stood at the huge door of the castle. He noticed the huge metal door knocker. Taking it in his hand he banged in three times. He waited a few minutes before the small hatchway in the door opened and a rather ugly looking fellow popped his head out.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I wish to see the master of the house." said Magus. "I am a visitor to these parts, and I wish to pay my respects to him."

"The master rests during the day. He only receives visitors at night."

"Then I will return this evening to see him. Please tell him that Doctor Phineas Magus called to pay his respects."

The man snorted and quickly closed the hatch. Magus stood at the door for a few minutes before contemplating his next move. He decided to return to the inn.

**CHAPTER TWO**

It was about half an hour later before Magus returned to the inn. He was anxiously awaited for by Thomas.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"I was unable to enter the castle." replied Magus. "His servant prevented me from entering. If I am to speak to Dracula then I must return to his castle this evening."

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Thomas. "Isn't Dracula supposed to be at his most powerful when it's dark?"

"He is." said Magus. "But it's a chance I'm going to have to take if I'm to rescue the innkeeper's daughter."

Magus reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper and a pencil. He wrote a few things on it and then handed it to Thomas.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Just a few things I'm going to need when I return to the castle." said Magus. "Some more garlic, a wooden stake and a hammer, and a bottle of holy water."

Thomas and Igor set about collecting the items. Later that day, when it began to get dark, Magus gathered together the things that had been collected, put them in a bag and began his journey back to the castle.

"Come Teddy." he called out.

Teddy trotted out to join him.

"Why is Magus taking Teddy and not Toby?" asked Thomas.

"Do you not know?" replied Igor. "Even Dracula himself fears the black dog."

Magus arrived at the castle once more. As he approached the door a tall distinguished figure stood there.

"You must be Magus. I am Dracula. I bid you welcome."

On a signal from Magus Teddy moved, unseen, into the castle. Dracula led Magus in to his chamber.

"I will not beat about the bush. You have here the daughter of the innkeeper in Kongstadt. You will return her to me now."

"You are a brave but foolish man Magus. You would have done well to follow your name. It is Latin for wise. You would be wise to leave me in peace."

"You would be wise, Count, not to underestimate me. I know who you are and what you are. I know your weaknesses and your strengths."

Dracula sneered.

"I have been hearing threats like that since the 14th century. They hold no fear for me."

Magus inclined his head graciously.

"I have been making them since the 11th century. I believe I have some three hundred years on you."

A look of astonishment passed Dracula's face.

"You are Nosferatu?"

"No. I am Istari."

"I thought you kind had left this world in bygone times."

"You were mistaken. You will surrender the girl to me, or do I have to take her by force?"

"It will be interesting."

The vampire's eyes glowed with a satanic red hue as he sought to hypnotise Magus. It had no effect. Magus brought up his crucifix. Dracula recoiled, not in mortal terror. Then the hunchback appeared with the innkeeper's daughter. One hand was around her throat.

"You will surrender to me." snarled Dracula. "Or my servant will snap her neck like a rotten twig."

The hunchback manoeuvred his captive round behind his master until they stood before the window. Then it happened. A huge black dog appeared. Dracula fled the room in terror. The dog leapt at the hunchback and his captive. The hunchback flung the girl at the dog, but the dog ignored her. Letting out a bark which sounded like the chiming of a heavenly bell it leapt at the hunchback. He staggered against the heavy curtains on the window and then, with a terrible cry he fell, plunging to his death below. Magus whirled to see where the dog was just as Teddy took his usual shape once more.

"Quickly Teddy. Take her back to the inn. It is almost sunrise. I must find Dracula."

They parted company. Magus soon found the vampire once again, standing at the doorway of his crypt. With unnerving accuracy Magus flung the bottle of holy water at the door. It broke, sending the vampire fleeing to the window.

"The sun does not rise for twenty minutes yet. I can get to my crypt from the outside."

As the vampire threw back the curtain the burning midday sun struck him. Instantly he was dust.

Back at the inn that night the innkeeper and his daughter were reunited. Thomas sat watching them. Then he looked at Magus.

"Teddy left you twenty minutes before sunrise. Yet Dracula was killed by the midday sun. How?"

"I merely moved the castle forward in time by six hours. Dracula thought it was still dark when he threw open the curtains. I merely allowed time to readjust itself once I had done as I wished. I did, it you recall, tell you that time was curious."


End file.
